Garden / Yard List 2023 (2 Viewers)

[Bismarck Honeyeater]

A mixed bag with viz-mig lately, numbers very low, but a bit of variety. Yesterday was a good day. A low number of birds and species, but suddenly I heard a bird singing, then realised it was flying over. #99 Woodlark, in fact 2 together. A day earlier than my biggest party of 4 a few years ago. Not annual, but 10 birds in 5 years, so not super rare either.

For some reason I had 40 winks in the afternoon, then decided to stretch my legs around the garden. Almost the first birds I saw were 12 #100 Lapwing disappearing over the trees. I was seriously worried they were going to be a no show this year, I really would have expected to see some earlier. It’s a strange one, they bred less than 1km away but some years I see many and others hardly any.

That leaves Peregrine & Shelduck as the real odd ones out. No sightings at all, Shelduck is probably not going to happen, but Peregrine is still a possibility.

I have been struggling with sightings since mid-spring, definitely underperforming compared to previous years. I hope it’s not a sign of things to come. But pleased to have got to my 💯 for the year nonetheless.

 

[KenM]

Envy the Woodlark BH…..very much less than annual here!
Three together over calling during Spring ‘20
then with a previous 4 records added, we have a grand total of 7….in 40 years! 😮

 

[kb57]

Not a new seen-from-apartment tick for the year, but heard my first chiffchaff of autumn this morning.

 

[Bismarck Honeyeater]

Envy the Woodlark BH…..very much less than annual here!
Three together over calling during Spring ‘20
then with a previous 4 records added, we have a grand total of 7….in 40 years! 😮

Considering they breed less than 5km away, it’s surprising I don’t see them more often. But of course the birds I get over on viz-mig could be from considerably further away.

 

[KenM]

Considering they breed less than 5km away, it’s surprising I don’t see them more often. But of course the birds I get over on viz-mig could be from considerably further away.

Therein lies a frustration, my patch is circa a mile from my back gate which I walk praps every other day, where I could’ve added a further twenty species for the year, if it was within my grdn.boundary….such is life.😩

 

[Richard Prior]

Therein lies a frustration, my patch is circa a mile from my back gate which I walk praps every other day, where I could’ve added a further twenty species for the year, if it was within my grdn.boundary….such is life.😩

You need to trim that tall hedge a bit Ken
It’s hard for me to think of more than a couple of species that are close by but not yet on the Garden List, Dipper and Goosander I suppose on the river hidden behind the forest on the valley floor, I’ve seen Red billed Chough when walking on the mountain opposite us but at over 3kms distance I think I would struggle to know whether one would be Alpine or not when viewing from the house.

 

[KenM]

You need to trim that tall hedge a bit Ken
It’s hard for me to think of more than a couple of species that are close by but not yet on the Garden List, Dipper and Goosander I suppose on the river hidden behind the forest on the valley floor, I’ve seen Red billed Chough when walking on the mountain opposite us but at over 3kms distance I think I would struggle to know whether one would be Alpine or not when viewing from the house.

For your delectation Richard…..Coot,Pochard,
BarnOwl,GWEgret,Shoveller,Wigeon,RuddyDuck
Stonechat,Wheatear,Whinchat,DartfordWarbler,MarshTit,Linnet,PiedWagtail,Pheasant,
ReedBunting,HouseSparrow,Gadwall,Skylark SandMartin and with Woodlark,BlackRedstart in the previous year.😩

 

[Richard Prior]

Good grief, that’s a lot of ‘so near yet so far‘ species, my sympathies Ken!

 

[KenM]

Good grief, that’s a lot of ‘so near yet so far‘ species, my sympathies Ken!

…..and forgetting Gropper and Cetti’s also Kingfisher😩

 

[birdmeister]

On average, as October approaches November my morning flights have been decreasing. Today's flight of 194 birds was over 75% due to large flocks of Lark Buntings passing through. I had an initial wave of maybe 10-50 per day in Aug/Sept, but today multiple roving flocks totaled at least 150 birds. I'm curious to see if it keeps up into the next month. One new addition to the year list was right in the window for last fall's sightings, popping up on a telephone pole for decent scope views.

127. Bendire's Thrasher

 

[Steve Lister]

October 29th.
75. Song Thrush - group of three flew SW early morning.

At last.

 

[KenM]

With complete absence for two weeks (to be expected at this time) of anymore Chiffies and the door on any late Yellow-Broweds being all but closed.
I’ve decided to do a “tot-up” of migrant passerines that have graced my “furniture” this last ten months.

Today saw my seventh FIRECREST (foy) arrive in the Holly with leaden skies and rain not unknown during these windless conditions.
Added to which there have been c69 WILLOW WARBLERS v c83 CHIFFIES (a definite increase on the former), 2 WOOD WARBLERS, (lifers! a week apart), at least one TRISTIS type Chiffy, also SEDGE WARBLER again scarce, being only my third ever!

REED WARBLER at least three, GARDEN WARBLER the same, LESSER WHITETHROAT just two, COMMON WHITETHROAT c13 (All through in August with but a single in mid September, worth mentioning that I only had my first through c5 years ago!)
Certainly three Spot Flys (possibly 4), 1 Pied Fly and a single Common Redstart.

PS other miscellaneous occurrences were House Martin North on March 24th (which was imaged), unlike the three the previous year, again North on the earlier date of March 19th!

Also during Late August….CHIFFCHAFF, WILLOW WARBLER and REED WARBLER all snatch singing (at different times) were garden firsts for the last two!
For me, I think the best year ever, as I was able to image most of the principle players, my only regret was being coerced into taking a four day break away, between Aug 14th-17th right in the middle of peak/volume passage when the weather was at it’s best….think I could have lost out on a few goodies.😩

 

[gerald762]

A small flock, about 8, bramblings arrived today. Hopefully they will stay for the winter.

 

[halftwo]

A magnificent late entry 1st thing this morning. A flyover, calling

89: WAXWING !

 

[Jos Stratford]

Year winding down here, my latest ever Black Redstart this past weekend - both days on and around my veranda (latest by three weeks), plus my latest Mistle Thrushes, a flock of ten, and latest Kestrel (first ever in October). Also a late Woodcock and southbound male Hen Harrier and one White-tailed Eagle.

A flyover flock of eight 'Waxwings' turned out to be Starlings, probably rarer this time of year in interior Lithuania.

 

[Richard Prior]

A magnificent late entry 1st thing this morning. A flyover, calling

89: WAXWING !

Wow, that’s a belter H!
Chiffchaffs still finding insects to eat in our current mild spell, yesterday the Golden Eagle pair were flying together, the male doing some spectacular swoops and climbs display, a pair of Lammergeier landed on a cliff slightly hidden from my viewpoint at home, perhaps a pair looking for a new nest site. At 86 for the year, which is one above the usual yearly total.

 

[birdmeister]

Good migration overnight would have probably resulted in a nice flight this morning, except that the wind picked up and started really blasting from the east. Still, a few birds made their way through. Two juncos stopped briefly, one of them a "Pink-sided" and the other unknown. My favorite of the day was a new addition for the year,

128. Northern Flicker ("Red-shafted")

a month later than my first arrivals last September. Seeing Gilded Flickers all year is nice too, but the color on a Red-shafted really pops over the desert!

 

[KenM]

Good migration overnight would have probably resulted in a nice flight this morning, except that the wind picked up and started really blasting from the east. Still, a few birds made their way through. Two juncos stopped briefly, one of them a "Pink-sided" and the other unknown. My favorite of the day was a new addition for the year,

128. Northern Flicker ("Red-shafted")

a month later than my first arrivals last September. Seeing Gilded Flickers all year is nice too, but the color on a Red-shafted really pops over the desert!

They are a bit special….👍

 

[Richard Prior]

Rain from dawn to dusk for the last day of the month so 53 species is the total for October, the first month with no additions to the year to date score. If I could manage 4 more before the year end I would equal the year garden list record of 90 but I’m not holding my breath. Three glaring ‘missing in action’ in 2023 are Water Pipit, Rock Bunting and Grey Wagtail, species we see every year normally. The Wagtail often visits a steaming dung heap when the snow and frost sets in, it’s not too late for the bunting but on my walk on the Sulens mountain opposite on Saturday the Water Pipits had apparently left (they breed there each year). A few Meadow Pipit were about so fingers crossed for one over the garden (only two years with garden records though, same applies for the other possible, Skylark). Anything outside those five would have to be a garden mega I think. A Pygmy Owl tapping on the kitchen window would be nice………

 

[Selsey Birder]

Rain from dawn to dusk for the last day of the month so 53 species is the total for October, the first month with no additions to the year to date score. If I could manage 4 more before the year end I would equal the year garden list record of 90 but I’m not holding my breath. Three glaring ‘missing in action’ in 2023 are Water Pipit, Rock Bunting and Grey Wagtail, species we see every year normally. The Wagtail often visits a steaming dung heap when the snow and frost sets in, it’s not too late for the bunting but on my walk on the Sulens mountain opposite on Saturday the Water Pipits had apparently left (they breed there each year). A few Meadow Pipit were about so fingers crossed for one over the garden (only two years with garden records though, same applies for the other possible, Skylark). Anything outside those five would have to be a garden mega I think. A Pygmy Owl tapping on the kitchen window would be nice………

If the Owl turns up Rich, I will be on the next Eurotunnel crossing !!

Ian