Garden/Yard List 2022 (1 Viewer)

[Bismarck Honeyeater]

#57 this morning, with a flock of c.5, then another c.10 Lesser Redpolls low over West.

Not very common locally this year, so quite nice to get these so early in the year. The male Blackcap put in another appearance, Little Egret and Kingfisher around for much of the day.

Some squeaky Shrew/Vole noises heard, they have been more audible in recent weeks, compared to some months ago. A couple of Muntjacs were more visible.

 

[SueO]

21. White-crowned Sparrow

 

[Bismarck Honeyeater]

#58 Peregrine over this morning, possibly the same male I last had on Dec 31st. A first record for January (previously joint worst month but now cumulatively on 67 species). We are working to get a nestbox on the local church, watch this space)

A pair of Bullfinches over was really good. Only see them 2-3 times a year, so twice in a month is noteworthy. Outside of the garden I have seen Bullfinch half a dozen times in the last few weeks, they either had a good breeding year or there are more migrants around this winter.

Two Stock Doves flew around the garden, probably the same birds I’ve been seeing across the road.

If it carries on at this rate I will have nothing to add for the rest of the year. 😉

 

[KenM]

Only two sightings last year so here’s hoping for more this year, particularly to image!
Firecrest no.42.

 

[Richard Prior]

With ones garden being such a small patch (and different to County or Country ‘rules’) I have always ascribed to the count anything ‘over, in or from’ rule.

My old London garden/house list was 41% seen on the deck, 59% flyovers.

My current garden/house list is 69% seen on the deck, 31% flyovers.

My motto is “Always look up”

As birding here is 'as you were' thanks to the stable weather I did a few sums and came up with a similar percentage split, here its 66% in and 34% from or overhead.

 

[KenM]

My split over 39 years is somewhat different, as living on a hill with a migration conduit to the rear and equidistant between two N/South lakes then with two valleys E/West, has given me a 44% in and 56% over ratio thus birding becomes a “pain in the neck”….until the next goody! 😂

 

[halftwo]

I don't know if I've previously overlooked this but a

Wren

just outside the window hasn't been on the list before!

 

[halftwo]

and 3

50: Redpoll...

can I do a hat-trick again today.. ?

 

[KenM]

and 3

50: Redpoll...

can I do a hat-trick again today.. ?

Gr-r-r-r-r!

 

[Bismarck Honeyeater]

Very subdued mood in the garden when I went out early. Then I saw why. This beast of a Sparrowhawk was devouring a Feral Pigeon. Things livened up after a while, a Kestrel dropped onto a tree next to me and finally at least 1 Bullfinch seen and possibly another heard. Unfortunately it was sat the wrong side of a bush to get any shots, but that’s the third sighting this month - unprecedented.

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[Bismarck Honeyeater]

The pair of Bullfinches still around this afternoon.

I went for a walk around the block, always a risky thing in case I see something that I could have seen from the garden. The best was a pair of House Sparrows, barely 100m away! I’ve had 3 House Sparrows in over 3 years, none for more than a few minutes. House Sparrow is strangely absent from my side of town, pretty common to the north though. Hard to explain. I’ve not had multiple Sparrows closer than about 1km from my garden. I hope this means they are moving closer.

Across the road, in the flooded Carr woodland I spotted a couple of Teal, then accidentally flushed some more. Probably about 10 in total, now they would have been viewable from my patch if I’d looked in the right direction at the right time. Fortunate that I had a couple in the garden a week or so ago.

 

[Warixenjalka]

January 14th
#15. Common Starling - This is my all time earliest sight from garden. Usually they come at March or even April.

Jan. 15th
#16. Coal Tit

Jan. 19th - these appeared within the same 10 seconds
#17. Raven
#18. Sparrowhawk

Jan. 21st
#19. Spruce Siskin - only one individual with 17 Yellowhammers.

What comes to the Mammals - there's no much to tell about. At this year, only one Red Squirrel and all time list is almost as short: Brown Hare, Red Squirrel, Brown Rat, Yellow-necked Mouse and West European Hedgehog. Quite sad really...

 

[halftwo]

Well ! I did get a hat-trick yesterday!

Whilst locking up 3

51: Tawny Owls (2f, 1m)

were calling, as was a FOX - only the 2nd ever for the house!!!

 

[KenM]

It was only a matter of time….no.43 as was no.44 Grey Heron several hours later.

 

[KenM]

Well ! I did get a hat-trick yesterday!

Whilst locking up 3

51: Tawny Owls (2f, 1m)

were calling, as was a FOX - only the 2nd ever for the house!!!

Most I’ve had in my “occasional” grdn. roost is two on a single occasion only H.👍

 

[Bismarck Honeyeater]

Grey and miserable this morning, so not a lot of time spent in the garden. A Little Egret working his stretch of river and another over. Grey Heron also over, I guess this could be a breeding bird flying back to its nest, though I don’t know where that might be.
No Kingfisher today is a bit unusual of late.
A Buzzard got chased through the garden by a couple of Crows and landed in a nearby tree. Finally a Treecreeper chose to work a tree close to where I was standing, giving me time to video it, no optics just the phone. It got a juicy bug.

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[birdmeister]

Just a quick post from me here, things are very quiet in the cold with several Arctic blasts but little snow to show for it. I've not been dedicated to yard birding yet this year, but did have the pleasure of having over 4,000 Snow Geese descend to distant cornfields as seen from a 2nd-floor window this evening.

I've enjoyed reading all the posts here. BH, those videos are fantastic for a "Yank" like me! Love seeing the live behaviors, but even more so hearing the English soundscape.

 

[Richard Prior]

Just a quick post from me here, things are very quiet in the cold with several Arctic blasts but little snow to show for it. I've not been dedicated to yard birding yet this year, but did have the pleasure of having over 4,000 Snow Geese descend to distant cornfields as seen from a 2nd-floor window this evening.

I've enjoyed reading all the posts here. BH, those videos are fantastic for a "Yank" like me! Love seeing the live behaviors, but even more so hearing the English soundscape.

Keep well wrapped up BM! Lovely little video of the Treecreeper BH, still waiting for ours to appear this year but I finally got to see the Bullfinch two days ago, a cracking male in fine fettle.
More scanning across the valley finally this morning produced another dozen or so Mistle Thrush in the fields, plus a single (about time too!):

39 Fieldfare

 

[birdmeister]

Tonight's session at the window brought a lot more Snow Geese (at least 5,000), and a pair of goodies in

Northern Harrier

Cackling Goose

Both of these are first-of-year (yard), so I guess I'll have to tabulate things up.


Temps are at 23F (-5C) now, with a light to moderate NW leaking through the window. Should go down to at least 8F (-13C) tonight, so more ice on the reservoir.

 

[Bismarck Honeyeater]

#59 Greylag Goose Get a number of Canada Geese fly over from their roost site downriver, to their begging site in the town centre, most mornings. Often they are behind trees or houses. There is sometimes 1 Greylag in the group, today it did me the courtesy of flying overhead. They are a fairly regular bird from February-May and Oct-Nov/Dec, in fact today’s bird was a first for January.

#60 Brambling Another first record for January, more often October (occasionally Nov & Mar). This one flew over calling, though they do occasionally drop in.

Other sightings were a slight increase in Greenfinch, and more song and a little display. 3 flyover Siskin, the Bullfinch pair around on and off during the day. Little Egret and Kingfisher. A bust up between a Male Kestrel and a Jay and an adult Yellow-legged Gull and some Herring Gulls.

Grey Wagtail is video of the day. Still no Pied Wagtail, which is the most obvious miss for the year.
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