Garden Patch, Caergwrle. (1 Viewer)

[JWN Andrewes]

Cheers Phil. First rate birds wherever they are, Firecrests. Completely wonderful when they make it to the garden!

I was working the first couple of days of 2009, so by the morning of Saturday 3rd January the year list stood at a paltry three (Blackbird, Moorhen and Robin, all heard calling in the dark afternoon of the 1st). So on that Saturday morning I peered out of the back door to see about getting the foundations of 2009’s list built… and had an absolute barnstormer of a day! The first couple of dozen species were pretty unremarkable, although it was nice to get Canada Goose and Cormorant out of the way early. Number 25 for the day though (26 for the year) was a doozer; Mute Swan, right overhead, making its way north and drawing attention to itself with those thrumming wings. Any year list -national, patch, garden - is essentially reliant on bonus birds, which is to say, those you can’t rely on! Of the eighty some species on my garden list, for instance, there are around sixty that I reckon I can bank on in any calendar year, which means my final tally is dependant on those bonus birds (of which I got 11 last year, 14 the year before). Mute Swan, with just two records before Saturday’s bird (both last year), is just such a bonus bird. Two more bonus birds found their way into the next 10. The first of these was Teal, 2009’s first garden tick! A single duck rose up from the river and zigzagged off, with two more (a duck and a drake) crossing my field of view as I followed her progress off into the distance. Then there was a flock of 14 Lapwing heading south a fair way off (with presumably the same flock overhead heading northeast later). So now it’s mid morning and the day’s list is in the mid thirties and still wanting several easy species, any eight of which would beat my previous day record of 42. Bit by bit they appear, Buzzard over Caer Estyn, calling Wren and Dipper, a Grey Wagtail heads downstream, a distant passing Stock Dove, a Goldfinch tinkling over, half a dozen Goosanders past (including one drake), and the record is equaled. So what’s coming next? A calling Moorhen? A fly-by Greenfinch? A Nuthatch at the feeder? Here it comes now, a stately Grey Heron, low and close, sedately flapping upstream, followed very shortly afterwards by a Goldcrest foraging its way through the Willows opposite the back door. But there are chores to be done too, and it’s now off to do a shop. Back home at around three, and by volunteering to bring all the shopping in while Anna has a sit down I pull some more outdoors time. The bags come in slowly, one at a time, and I’m rewarded by a fly-over Jay. Then, while I’m putting the shopping away, I glance up though the back door (which gives me a pretty narrow field of view of the outside world) at exactly the right time. There are Swans flying past, heading upstream, fairly close in and low down. I’m outside double quick, expecting grandstand views of my second helping of Mute of the day, and they’re Whoopers!! Outstanding! Second garden tick of the day, let alone the year, and the fourth bonus bird for 2009, with the fifth, a Snipe, overhead about half an hour later! This was the last new bird of the day and (along with a couple of Greenfinch just after those wonderful Swans) brought the day’s total to a staggering 48! Missing from this total were Moorhen (which I’d heard calling two days before, and heard again on the Sunday) Nuthatch (which joined the year list on 4th, showing and calling all bloody day, where the hell were they on Saturday?) and Kingfisher, which I heard calling as it passed on 4th, bringing the year list to its current total of 51. This excellent start to the year is without doubt due the hard weather, not great news for the birds involved I’m afraid, as is evidenced by the fact that four of the five of my bonus birds would have been on the move in search of unfrozen water, with the fifth (Lapwing) often associated with hard weather movements (as were the thirty odd Fieldfares kicking around). 5th-6th January was spent on a family holiday (Centre Parcs if you must know), and I’m working this weekend, so roll on Monday!

James

 

[JWN Andrewes]

Managed a few short spells out in the garden yesterday. A good day for Goosanders, with a flock of eleven including two drakes in the morning, and several other singles and doubles up and down the river during the day, presumably the big group having broken up. A Song Thnrush singing, off and on, for much of the day was new for the year. Also new was the garden's second Great Black-backed Gull, this time with a bunch of other Gulls heading inland in the morning, yet another bonus bird! Doing well for them so far this year! A Peregrine screaming downstream at just above tree top height, and then pulling up to double back over the village was the third and final addition to the year list, bringing the total up to 54.

James

 

[JWN Andrewes]

Of course the trouble with getting off to such a blistering start, with seeing so much so soon, is that it very quickly gets tough to add new birds to the list. (That's not to say I didn't enjoy a few spells of garden watching over the weekend, plenty of Goosander activity and a Peregrine being the highlights.) Now I've got a couple of years' worth of watching this site behind me I can start to get a feel of what to expect, and between now and the end of March that amounts to not much in the way of new birds for the year. Here's what I saw in the first three months of '07 & '08 that is still lacking in '09. Greylag Goose;hit and miss, could pitch in any time, could keep me waiting months, but I should (hopefully) get this sometime this year, if not by end of March. Pink-footed Goose; long shot, a couple of records in Jan '07 and still a garden rarity. Kestrel; soon with luck. Tawny Owl; see Kestrel. Meadow Pipit; recorded in Feb '07 courtesy some heavy snow, so by no means reliable this side of autumn (if then). Blackcap; this doesn't seem to be a great winter for them but summer visitors should appear late March. Chiffchaff; again, late march should see them arrive, although a record at the end of November last year indicates that an earlier showing isn't altogether out of the question. Firecrest; dream on, garden rarity, two records of presumed same individual in winter '06/'07. Treecreeper; a toughie, I've spent much of the weekend intensively scrutinising the areas that have provided the garden's handful of records, and shall continue to do so till successful (this stratagem having worked last month). Lesser Redpoll; garden rarity, could be lucky, most likely not though. Reed Bunting; see Meadow Pipit. Any other species gratefully received, and though the going may now be slow (till spring kicks in at least), if that's the price to be paid for that one outstanding day then "bargain" I'd say!

James

 

[JWN Andrewes]

Kestrel; soon with luck.

Thursday afternoon as it turned out, a male circling in the distance. Also on Thursday, in what is turning out to be a bumper month (year even!) for wildfowl yet more Goosander sightings (I've seen them more often in the past few weeks than at any time since moving here) and a flock of seventeen Teal heading north in the afternoon with seven Mallard!

James

 

[JWN Andrewes]

The purple patch continues! Although much of Monday's birding time was taken up with scanning for Treecreeper (an activity that is becoming increasingly tedious; I'll be glad when I finally see one) the skies did not go unchecked, and amongst the morning session (coinciding with Archie's morning sleep) there were pairs each of Canada and Greylag Goose (the latter a year tick), a trio of Goosander and two single Cormorants. The afternoon session (coinciding with Archie's afternoon sleep - you see how it works?!) delivered in style when I raised my bins to a middle distance large raptor expecting Buzzard but seeing Goshawk instead! There followed a decent prolonged scope view as it circled, drifting slowly north away from me. I've seen them displaying in spring a little less than five miles away, and there's plenty of woodland between here and there so it's always been on the cards, but my, how thrilling when it happens!

James

 

[JWN Andrewes]

January finished with the year list on 57, the best end of January tally to date, with the month also becoming the highest scoring, previous best being October 2007 with 54.

Forty-odd Siskin feeding in some Alders prompted me to get the scope out to scan through for Redpolls; none present. While the scope was out I also used it to scan through to one of the Sheep fields by Sarn Lane, which is getting good and muddy and has hosted Meadow Pipits at this time of year. This small patch of field has only recently become viewable, since some trees were taken out as part of the works to improve the river flow through the Pack Horse Bridge, which was becoming damaged during strong flow after heavy rain. None of these present either, but I'll keep checking. Brief flight views of Dipper down on the river too.

February began with eight Canada Geese on the move, seen twice during the morning. Then in the afternoon came yet another good garden tick, which I even managed to get a really, really, really rubbish photo of!! As it began to snow (at around 15:20) a Little Egret came in from upstream, circled the garden, and then seemed to drop down onto the river by the bridge! Outstanding! Crappy photo attached.

James

ps - Treecreepers remain elusive, but the search continues!

 

[JWN Andrewes]

Managed a bit more garden watching over the week, but the snowy weather doesn't seem to have brought as much in as on previous occasions; things have been mostly pretty quiet. I say mostly, one Meadow Pipit over the house yesterday lunchtime moved the yearlist on, but apart from that nothing of note.

James

 

[Farnboro John]

Then in the afternoon came yet another good garden tick, which I even managed to get a really, really, really rubbish photo of!! As it began to snow (at around 15:20) a Little Egret came in from upstream, circled the garden, and then seemed to drop down onto the river by the bridge! Outstanding! Crappy photo attached.

James

Fifteen years ago I'd have been delighted with that pic (its a far better view than I ticked the species on) and so I suspect would you James!

Nice garden tick.

John

 

[JWN Andrewes]

Fifteen years ago I'd have been delighted with that pic (its a far better view than I ticked the species on) and so I suspect would you James!

Nice garden tick.

John

I know, mad isn't it? I remember jumping on a train up into Lancashire to see my first, then taxi from the station and the thrill! An actual Egret in the UK! Now twenty some years later I've got one flying round over the garden and for all of the excitement there is almost an element of inevitability about it. I can't help wondering how long I'm going to have to wait for Cattle and/or Great White to follow suit!

Tawny Owls finally found their voice last night; 60 up.

James

 

[JWN Andrewes]

Also on Thursday, in what is turning out to be a bumper month (year even!) for wildfowl yet more Goosander sightings (I've seen them more often in the past few weeks than at any time since moving here)

James

And no sooner do I make this observation than records dry up completely, until this Saturday just gone when there was a pair seen a handful of times over the weekend! Peregrines have been pretty evident recently; I’d noticed a late winter early spring peak in records the past couple of years. My latest date for Fieldfare has been pushed back a massive four days from 11th to 15th February with two flocks of birds on the move, 27 heading east and 44 north. Redwings very scarce, in fact unrecorded since 5th. Lots more stuff singing this weekend, usual suspects thus far. Somewhat bizarrely on Saturday I had a Cormorant circling very low overhead, looking like it was considering dropping onto the diddy little pond at the bottom of a large garden just the other side of the Alun (barely big enough for two pairs of Moorhen). Headed off south in the end, sensible chap, that way Gresford Flash lies. Got home yesterday afternoon after a spot of shopping (we are now the proud owners of a shiny new rotary washing line amongst other things) and on my second trip back down to the car to bring stuff in I put up a male Pheasant who went clattering off downstream through the trees. He must have been making his way up the bank while I was taking bits up to the house which is why he didn’t flush when we first pulled in. Not only a bonus year-tick but an upgrade to boot; only ever heard calling till then.

James

EDIT:- Next door neighbour had a couple of Mute Swans over a few days ago. Would've been a garden Feb tick if I'd been around to see them, but at least I've had one for the year.

 

[JWN Andrewes]

Nice to have a bit more daylight before my morning departure time now. A Peregrine did a low, close fly-by, heading uppstream, at 7 o'clock this morning, and four Redwings went over a few minutes later (low flying, looked more like commuters than migrants).

James

 

[JWN Andrewes]

Had two huge rarities on Saturday morning. The first was a lie in! Like bloody hen’s teeth these days, but by a little after half eight I was at the back door with a cuppa listening to a Lesser Spotted Woodpecker drumming away. Had trouble believing what I was hearing at first, but the more I listened the less doubt there was. The trick was getting into a position where I could see the damn thing, but no luck, and after ten minutes or so it went quiet, only to resume half an hour later. More moving about scanning, same result, nada. When it started up for a third time I bit the bullet and headed "off-garden", round to the bridge to try and get a better view of the trees it sounded like it was in, but it had stopped again by the time I got there, and never resumed. Too bad, but while I was down at the bridge it was nice to see a few things that I mostly just hear (or see briefly and/or poorly) from the garden, particularly a foraging Goldcrest and a nice male Grey Wagtail bobbing along by the river. And stone me, that’s a Blackcap singing! Devil a sign of the wretched things up at the house all winter, but five minutes and a few score yards away and here he is, crooning away to his heart’s content! Probably just a bit too far from the garden to hear it, being a good bit upstream of the bridge (and what’s more quite low down, in relation to the house), but still quite a surprise. As for the rest of the day, a dozen Redwing over with a bunch of Siskin, a single Stock Dove and (not for the first time here) a day hooting Tawny Owl, at twenty past three in the afternoon!

So, here goes with some stats for February. The best (in terms of number of species) of the three Febs we’ve so far been in Caergwrle, with 54 species (43 last year, 48 in ’07), of which 6 were Garden February ticks (Cormorant, Little Egret, Canada & Greylag Geese, Pheasant and Lesser Spot), and the equal second best scoring month ever (along with Oct ’07). I think that part of the reason this year has been so good thus far has been that as well as year listing I’m trying to see as many species per month as possible. I know that shouldn’t make a difference, but being constantly aware that I’ve yet to see, say, a Kestrel and it’s getting near the end of the month just seems to make keeping focus easier. (Never did get a Feb Kestrel this year; better luck in March?) And while we’re playing with numbers, that’s a whopping five garden ticks in the first two months of the year; the last time I got five garden ticks in two months was May/June 2007, the first spring we were here in Caergwrle, which just goes to show what a blinding start to the year it has been, and if I can keep the pace up, who knows…?

So Sunday morning dawns, first day of a new month, which means everything’s up for grabs again. No lie in this morning (Anna’s turn), so by half eight the day (and indeed month) list is already pushing thirty when a Curlew calls in the distance, and a quick scan reveals two birds heading south over towards Caer Estyn. (A third headed south around an hour later, directly overhead, but silent.) 63 for the year, and if I wasn’t keenly pursuing a policy of maximum month lists I’m not convinced I would been spending quite so much time at the back door, so those Curlew could easily have snuck past undetected. What a dreadful thought!

At close of play on Sunday the March 2009 list weighed in at 38, moving on to 42 the following morning, what with the very welcome increase in day length, combined with a beautifully clear, cloudless sky, allowing a brief spell of watching before heading off to work.

 

[JWN Andrewes]

Blackcap finally made it onto the year list on Saturday morning, courtesy of two males feeding in the willows at the back of the Derby Arms. Odd to see them tolerating each other’s presence rather than loudly claiming dominion over all within earshot. I wonder if they have perhaps been relatively local for the past few months and are now wandering a bit prior to heading north but are still of a wintering mindset. I would have expected new arrivals from all points south to be staking claims and taking on all comers as soon they arrive, but perhaps they’re just knackered after a long flight, I dunno. What I do know is that judging by our first winter here, when Blackcaps were an almost permanent fixture throughout, often multiples, the lack of records this winter has been a huge contrast!

On Sunday it was a male and a female in the same willows, but still no singing, unlike the newly arrived Chiffchaff, which was giving voice in fine style and lending the day a truly spring like flavour. Sunday was, in fact, a beautifully springy day, with plenty of bees drifting by, my first butterfly of the year, a Brimstone, and buckets of birdsong. Undoubted highlight of the weekend was a Stock Dove which ended its display flight by dropping into one of the riverside willows where it began coo-ing, a sound I’ve not heard for so many years, almost since I was a kid it feels like although surely it can’t be that long, can it?! I stood in the sunshine watching it through the scope feeling thoroughly content. Others in display-flight were a gorgeous Grey Wagtail and the more usual Greenfinches (and of course all weekend the Mallards were playing f***-chase up and down the valley). The fine weather also brought out the raptors (got me a March ’09 Kestrel!), with at one point an almost record-matching 10 Buzzards up at once and Sparrowhawk and Peregrine both putting in appearances too.

So, what else of note? Well, a quartet of Canada Geese over a few times over the past few days (most recently as I put the rubbish out at half six this morning), Ravens over, Nuthatch calling and occasionally showing (still no Treecreeper though), a female Goosander past in the distance and still the odd Siskin about. Last Redwing was one over on the 8th, still had them up to the 19th last year, coming into roost across the river, something they’ve not done at all this winter.

James

 

[JWN Andrewes]

Has it really been that long since I’ve updated? Well, here’s a quick run down of the rest of March, and the beginning of April.

A March tick on 19th in the shape of a distant Greylag heading north at half eight in the morning; the last Common Gull of spring on 23rd; Peregrines on 25th & 29th; a Chiffchaff sporting a shiny ring on 28th; a singing Siskin on 29th; the last Redwing of the winter(and the first since 8th March), a single, over on the evening of 30th. That’s 53 species for March 2009.

New for April have been Siskin (a male over on 2nd) and Nuthatch (one briefly perched up calling from the top of a bush in a neighbour’s garden on 8th), both my latest spring records for these species. First Blackcap in song was 6th, and the first House Martins of the year (two feeding high in the evening) were on the 8th. Tawny Owl calling in the small hours of 11th was an April tick, as were Raven (one over) and Greylag Goose (two distant heading south) later in the day, when the first Sand Martin of the year also put in an appearance. Two more Sand Martins, as well as a handful of House Martins, the following day, along with another April tick; a Pheasant calling in the distance (probably somewhere down Sarn Lane). Come on Swallows, where the hell are you!

And one other thing of note; this year’s Song Thrush is really p1551ng me off! He is a much more enthusiastic mimic than the one we’ve had the last couple of years (who used to sit up near the top of an Alder almost directly behind the garden; this one sits half way up an Ash off to the left). In his repertoire (amongst such innocuous stuff as Great & Blue Tit and Pied Wagtail) are Curlew (mildly annoying) and Green Woodpecker (bloody annoying). The first couple of times I heard him yaffling it quite got me going (if only briefly). Now, of course, should a real Green Woodpecker call I run the risk of filtering it out because I keep hearing this wretched Thrush belting out his own version all hours of the sodding day.

James

 

[JWN Andrewes]

Come on Swallows, where the hell are you!

One in the distance over Caer Estyn yesterday afternoon.

Come on Willow Warblers, where the hell are you!

James

 

[JWN Andrewes]

Come on Willow Warblers, where the hell are you!

James

One singing over by the Castle on 15th.

Come on Swifts, where the hell are you!

James

 

[JWN Andrewes]

Come on Swifts, where the hell are you!

James

One on 26th, same date as last year. Hobby next please!

April 2009 notched up 52 species, and took April's overall tally to 56. This is the first time I've done 50+ spp a month for four consecutive months (previous best run was March, April, May 2008). Siskin has pushed its latest spring date yet further to April 25th (fingers crossed for May). Other highlights for the second half of April have been a handful of Sand Martins, Ravens over the house carrying food off towards Hope Mountain, a couple of unseasonal Black-headed Gulls, very good views of Goldcest and Blackcap feeding in the Ivy opposite the front door and a very smart breeding plumage Cormorant over.

I've started setting the scope up at my bedroom window to scrutinise an open scrubby patch in amongst the birches up on Hope Mountain in the hope of an identifiable Stonechat or Wheatear or something. Nothing much yet, but a warbler singing from the top of one of the birches that could be narrowed down to Willowchaff encouraged me that some small birds could be clinched at that range.

James

 

[JWN Andrewes]

One on 26th, same date as last year. Hobby next please!

One over high on the 10th, equaling (with last year) my earliest date for this species.

That brings 71 up, which was the grand final total for 2008. Three more would draw my level with 2007, but there's nothing guaranteed left to get; I guess Red Kite and Treecreeper are the most likely (both of which have made May appearances before).

James

 

[JWN Andrewes]

This is the first time I've done 50+ spp a month for four consecutive months (previous best run was March, April, May 2008).

Make that five months; 51 so far this May, with Sand Martin and Pied Wagtail both being brand new May birds. By and large though it has been pretty quiet. It's not that there aren't occasional good birds at this time of year (eg see below), it's just that they occur against a backdrop of not very much going on. Once the handfull of summer visitors has arrived, and the winter stuff departed there just doesn't seem to be the variety or activity that we get in the colder half of the year. That said, when I went down to the car this morning to chuck mine and Archie's bags in the car (I drop him off at nursery on my way into work) I looked up to see a "funny duck" over towards the castle. Bins up, and it's my second Shelduck record for the garden! I watched as it banked round and disappeared behind the castle... followed by a second! A species I wasn't expecting t repeat so soon, if at all, but now there's a late spring precedent set (and funnily enough I had a fly by spring Shelduck from my previous house in Chester a few years ago). I'll try and get a bit more garden watching done over the weekend but of course by and large it has been pretty quiet, so I won't be expecting much; just hoping!

James

 

[JWN Andrewes]

I'll try and get a bit more garden watching done over the weekend but of course by and large it has been pretty quiet, so I won't be expecting much; just hoping!

James

Predictably quiet, but not bad for raptors on Sunday; 6 Buzzards, 2 Peregrine, distant Kestrel, Sparrowhawk carrying some hapless fledgling (ssshhh! Don't tell SOS!) and Hobby twice, once over high and once shooting past low.

James