Garden Patch, Caergwrle. (1 Viewer)

[JWN Andrewes]

This year's July list is benefiting from a bit of post breeding dispersal. First Common Gull sof the autumn on 14th (earliest ever by three days), Dipper calling on the Alyn since 17th and adult female and immature Green Woodpeckers flying around our parking area yesterday morning, just the second sight record from the house! That puts July 2011's list on 47, with Grey Heron, Mistle Thrush & Starling the most likely trio to get me over the line to fifty.

Also the attached spent the day yesterday by the garden steps, and was still there this morning.

 

[JWN Andrewes]

That puts July 2011's list on 47, with Grey Heron, Mistle Thrush & Starling the most likely trio to get me over the line to fifty.

As it turned out Peregrine, Tawny Owl and Starling did the job, with a quartet of redhead Goosander over for good measure (Goosander becoming the 43rd species to have been seen in every month; a Song Thrush this month would be good as 44th please).

Yesterday managed to get August off to a good start with 35, including 2 missing from July; Mistle Thrush and Greylag Goose (the latter would've been a new July bird for the garden too, just a day too late).

James

 

[JWN Andrewes]

What a pants autumn. After last year's excellent showing, this year has been really disappointing.
Oh well, here's a brief overview, for what it's worth. We start, though, with a garden mega - 2nd record of Lesser Whitethroat! Great bird, wrong garden; it was at my parents' place on 12th August. Dang! A pair of Mute swan over on 20th August was new for the year, since then nothing of any real note. Swallows, Hobbies, Swifts etc disappeared, Redwings, Fieldfares and Siskins have arrived, a few Meadow Pipits have moved through, and other than that pickings have been damn thin. It's now a year since my last garden tick. Roll on winter.

James

 

[JWN Andrewes]

And things have remained pretty quiet since then. Year list currently stands at 46; my slowest start to date. Best offering so far has been a Curlew over on 20th Feb, my earliest by about a week. On the flip side, this is the furthest into any year since moving that I've gone without Tawny Owl, Peregrine, Pied Wagtail or Rook.

James

 

[JWN Andrewes]

On the flip side, this is the furthest into any year since moving that I've gone without Tawny Owl, Peregrine, Pied Wagtail or Rook.

James

That goes for Fieldfare too, one of which flew over heading west on 6th, my latest ever garden Fieldfare, and first for March. Also Goosander & Peregrine in the past few days.

James

 

[JWN Andrewes]

First Chiffchaff yesterday, singing and flycatching in the willows by the cars. Also a couple of Rook flew by; finally! Then in the afternoon a typically brief view of Treecreeper on a tree behind the feeders! Still quite a garden rarity, Treecreeper, and this one was my first for March! Also, this is only the second time I've managed three year ticks in a day outside January!

James

 

[delia todd]

What a great birthday present for you James B

I hope the rest of the day is a good.

D

 

[JWN Andrewes]

Cheers Delia

Birthday went fine (for a work day that is). Treat to come at the weekend in the form of a trip to the ballet (Matthew Bourne's Nutcracker - can't wait)!

James

 

[delia todd]

I've just watched a clip - it really does look great James, no wonder you're looking forward to it so much. What a wonderful present.

D

 

[JWN Andrewes]

Indeed so, just a couple of days to go now!

Two Canada Geese headed downstream at 06:45 this morning - 53.

James

 

[JWN Andrewes]

Garden tick this morning (06:00)...Hedgehog! Snuffling its way across the lawn.

James

 

[JWN Andrewes]

Little Egret heading north in the distance on Sunday evening, and this morning my latest ever garden Redwings over.

James

 

[JWN Andrewes]

A neat trio of hirundines over the past week or so; a couple of House Martins on 6th (earliest by 2 days), a Swallow on 7th and then three Sand Martins on the evening of 12th.

James

 

[JWN Andrewes]

Willow Warbler singing this morning while I de-iced the car. Incongruous.

James

 

[JWN Andrewes]

Swift over this morning. And 54 species this April makes it my highest scoring April so far.

Attached are a couple of shots of the Alyn where it passes behind the house, before & after all this rain.

James

 

[JWN Andrewes]

Finally!!!!! Pied Wagtail over on Sunday morning.

James

 

[JWN Andrewes]

Yesterday evening there was a Green Woodpecker yelling its head off for at least half an hour from poplars the other side of the river, but damned if I could get sight of it, with willows on this side of the river obscuring much of the area it seemed to be calling from. Still, I'll take a heard only over sod all any day.

James

 

[JWN Andrewes]

Looks like the local Peregrines have bred this year, if what was perched on next door but one early this morning is anything to go by....

James

 

[JWN Andrewes]

A late calling Cuckoo, rather distant over towards Hope Mountain, was a surprise garden mega at lunchtime on Friday. Calling again at half four the following morning.

James

 

[JWN Andrewes]

Four Grey Herons headed south at around 09:00 yesterday, and in the afternoon I could hear a Whitethroat (63) singing in the distance upstream - my first June garden Whitethroat.

James