Garden / Yard List 2025 (4 Viewers)

[Richard Prior]

No, Waxwing!…she saw the crest looking up at it, perched above on our tall conifer, although on the grdn.list.
I had to wait until last year, when one flew over the house to add it to “MY” grdn.list.🤣

And there was me thinking it was a Black Redstart (or Wallcreeper of course )!

 

[KenM]

And there was me thinking it was a Black Redstart (or Wallcreeper of course )!

Stringers….🤣

 

[KenM]

Still eleven species down on same time as last year…absolutely worrying!
However just the regular playmates at the moment, with my first “shootable” male Chaffinch in the grdn.this year…so late.😮

 

[Bismarck Honeyeater]

Nothing much to write home about today, though at least 1 House Sparrows seen. 20 Redwings and 4 Blackbirds moved over during the morning. The Song Thrushes are still doing Oystercatcher, but also mixing in Buzzard and Tawny Owl too. They are starting to get on my nerves now. 😬

Five Teal in the mill stream this morning, even doing a bit of display too. Suddenly they were calling like mad, along with the Moorhens and that set all the Passerines off. Something was clearly up.

View attachment IMG_5382.mov

Then I saw the problem. A Cat, with a dead Moorhen in its jaws! We have got fewer Cats than a couple of years ago, more Dogs, but fewer Cats. The Dogs are pretty annoying, but they tend not to kill stuff. The Cats do though. They are definitely getting on my nerves. 😡

View attachment IMG_5383.mov

 

[Oregonian]

50. Western Screech-Owl, Megascops kennicottii, heard calling from a neighbor's woods yesterday just after midnight.
Rural Linn County, Oregon, USA

 

[KenM]

50. Western Screech-Owl, Megascops kennicottii, heard calling from a neighbor's woods yesterday just after midnight.
Rural Linn County, Oregon, USA

I’ve just seen a single Eastern (red) Screech Owl on a visit to Montreal many years ago, it was absolutely superb!
My only regret was that I didn’t have a camera, as it would have made an excellent image.😩👍

 

[Steve Lister]

February 27th
47. Kestrel - a distant female picked up when a crow kindly growled at it
Five behind last year.

 

[Farnboro John]

Garden tick Stone Curlew North over the house calling this evening. Totally unexpected.

37 Stone Curlew

Garden list stands at 107.

John

 

[Bismarck Honeyeater]

Garden tick Stone Curlew North over the house calling this evening. Totally unexpected.

37 Stone Curlew

Garden list stands at 107.

John

I had Stone Curlew the first three years I lived here, but not in the last three, perhaps I’ll get one this year.
They’ve been in for nearly a week locally, not that I’ve seen one yet.

 

[Patudo]

It was only when I looked at the photos, that I realised it was close rung, so possibly a Falconers hybrid, or non-Eurasian race could explain the size.

with the disclaimer that I certainly haven't seen every hybrid out there, and am only familiar with four of the goodness knows how many races/subsp of peregrines, I struggle to see obvious hybrid characteristics, and some peregrinus tiercels can be quite small; one male observed at a Welsh coastal eyrie (Parker 1979) was said to be too small to catch pigeons. I'm not familiar with how captive birds are supposed to be ringed, but would suspect that if it's an escapee it's likely to be a bog-standard peregrine tiercel - maybe turned loose because too small for typical UK quarry flown at by trained peregrines?

 

[Bismarck Honeyeater]

with the disclaimer that I certainly haven't seen every hybrid out there, and am only familiar with four of the goodness knows how many races/subsp of peregrines, I struggle to see obvious hybrid characteristics, and some peregrinus tiercels can be quite small; one male observed at a Welsh coastal eyrie (Parker 1979) was said to be too small to catch pigeons. I'm not familiar with how captive birds are supposed to be ringed, but would suspect that if it's an escapee it's likely to be a bog-standard peregrine tiercel - maybe turned loose because too small for typical UK quarry flown at by trained peregrines?

It is smaller than a Feral Rock Dove. I couldn’t see any obvious hybrid characteristics either, but can a pure Peregrine be that small?

Edit:
I’ve just checked, and a large FRD can be about the size of the smallest Peregrine. Who knew.

 

[Warixenjalka]

#23. Sparrowhawk - It's alive! The bigger cousin hadn't taken it in his lunch after all. (Or then this was other individual than last years Sprawk.) I think this was 3rd cy male with orange lower cheeks but no orange in breast at all, and lack white supercilium. But I'm not sure is it age-thing or just a individual-thing.

In February I got 21 species in garden, one more than January, and two more than last Feb. At last year I had 21 garden ticks at the end of Feb, so it doesn't look too bad in that regard nether...

 

[Richard Prior]

#23. Sparrowhawk - It's alive! The bigger cousin hadn't taken it in his lunch after all. (Or then this was other individual than last years Sprawk.) I think this was 3rd cy male with orange lower cheeks but no orange in breast at all, and lack white supercilium. But I'm not sure is it age-thing or just a individual-thing.

In February I got 21 species in garden, one more than January, and two more than last Feb. At last year I had 21 garden ticks at the end of Feb, so it doesn't look too bad in that regard nether...

I was looking out for the bigger cousin just before dusk but no sign of it yet- just as well for an intrepid Black Grouse that decided to do two high altitude circles above the mountain opposite before going to roost in a conifer, a bit risky and something I’ve never witnessed before. A second male was clambering about a birch on the tree line which is much more typical, a daily sight at dawn and (sometimes) dusk this month.
A good end of February position with 48 species, three down on last year’s record breaking year but equal to the second best ever. Just three species not seen this month that were clocked in January, local regulars Alpine Chough and Nutcracker, plus the mega Snowfinch, the last being unlikely to be seen again this year, otherwise I could have slept through January and not have missed anything!

 

[Bismarck Honeyeater]

Up out and early this morning, but the main course was not served up until about 07:45.



A Hawfinch picked up in flight, did the decent thing, and landed in the top of a tall tree at the back of the garden. It sat there eating buds for a few minutes, long enough to see it was a bright male, and therefore different to the female which did the same 5 1/2 weeks ago.

View attachment IMG_5394.mov

February is a new month for the species here, and this individual is the 7th for the garden list - which means it is still more common than House Sparrow. Talking of which, Merlin™️ heard one in the usual spot, though I didn’t.

(Apologies for 15x zoomed up iPhone photo and 9x video)

 

[Oregonian]

51. Yesterday's Turkey Vulture in the neighbor's field. A distant photo is attached.

 

[edenwatcher]

33. black-headed gull
34. siskin (pair on the feeders).
I would expect both before this date in a normal year. Usually one or two siskins are present through the winter then numbers build up in the spring.

Rob

 

[KenM]

Wall to wall blue this am triggered Buteos Accips and Columba oenas to yo-yo the sky with their displaying…until no.47 came over.

 

[Steve Lister]

March 2nd
48. Goldcrest - one briefly
49. Stock Dove - one over

A rare and very welcome double.

 

[Richard Prior]

Wall to wall blue this am triggered Buteos Accips and Columba oenas to yo-yo the sky with their displaying…until no.47 came over.

It's followed its shiny beak all the way from Fuerteventura to refind you Ken ,it must've missed you !

 

[KenM]

It's followed its shiny beak all the way from Fuerteventura to refind you Ken ,it must've missed you !

I’m fairly confident it’s not on the FTV list Richard.😉👍