Garden/Yard List 2019 (3 Viewers)

Good grief! First a Green Sandpiper and now White-fronted Goose, I demand Ken be breathalysed, he's obviously celebrating Christmas early this yearB B B
We had blizzard conditions the other day which were worse higher up, resulting in one of the adult Golden Eagles wandering down into the valley, it went sailing past the window before checking out the local farms, hoping for an unwary chicken for its lunch perhaps. Yellowhammers up to at least 23 yesterday, no need for electric lights on the Christmas trees with these guys around (see photos).
Also two Alpine Accentors seen on our walk into the village yesterday.


Happy holiday Jos!

Richard Prior said:

Good grief! First a Green Sandpiper and now White-fronted Goose, I demand Ken be breathalysed, he's obviously celebrating Christmas early this yearB B B
We had blizzard conditions the other day which were worse higher up, resulting in one of the adult Golden Eagles wandering down into the valley, it went sailing past the window before checking out the local farms, hoping for an unwary chicken for its lunch perhaps. Yellowhammers up to at least 23 yesterday, no need for electric lights on the Christmas trees with these guys around (see photos).
Also two Alpine Accentors seen on our walk into the village yesterday.


Happy holiday Jos!

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No fear of Eagles or Buntings at this end Richard, even with this year's ''increased'' coverage. Subsequent to the WFG,...last night at dusk (4.30pm) a Buzzard sized sp flying straight towards the window at head height, in the gloom appeared to have an overall brown tint, as it cleared my Sallow to the left and my Ash to the right before fore-shortening itself over the guttering, I espied projecting feet beyond short tail and just caught the tip of a pointed bill! :eek!::eek!:

Then this am...three ''small'' silhouetted geese foreshortening West away through the trees, a grand total of seven sp for the year that I couldn't close on, add to that a further twelve species that I've seen within 3/4 mile of the house...and we're over the ton! :-C

Absolutely no complaints from my cabbage patch, a single flyover garden lifer, plus an end of Aug/early Sep purple patch with 9 tran-Saharan passerine species at this time......and I still haven't had a bloody Redpoll! :t:

79. Peregrine.
One flew over as I was washing the car yesterday afternoon.
Still trying.
Feeders constantly topped up in the hope of a willow tit or brambling. Still not had GBB gull flying over, also normally manage a woodcock before the year end.
Whooper swan a big miss.
Grey partridge. First year ever I have not had them under the feeders.
Live in hope 😊

Toby Tyke said:

79. Peregrine.

Live in hope 😊

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Neck and neck! 79 Cooper's hawk very late addition this year.

Still holding out for a pine siskin, maybe a bohemian waxwing....anything else will be very surprising!

dantheman said:

47. Osprey 2 south

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Earlier in the year -

48. Common Redstart
49. Melodious Warbler

Forgot to add -

50. Feral Pigeon

dantheman said:

50. Feral Pigeon

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In France from 29th Nov to 18th December. Mostly pretty quiet. A new camera (well, new to me) saw me out in the garden a fair bit but very little passage, with 4 Red Kites south (although one was wing-tagged) some nice flocks of Woodpigeon and most days no birds different to what I'd expect in the UK. One unexpected garden tick though!!

51. Fieldfare
52. Mallard 2 flying over the river
53. Peregrine 1 circling south
54. Hawfinch 5 in flight
55. Goldcrest
56. Redwing a singleton in the Acacia tree
57. Siberian Chiffchaff

dantheman said:

57. Siberian Chiffchaff

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An unexpected garden mega!! (More on the id thread - https://www.birdforum.net/showthread.php?t=384635 )

(Also Redwing, Red Kite, Woodpigeon flock and Collared Doves)

Well, it looks like things are wrapping up in my neck of the yards. Unless I can tease out a rare goose from the local reservoir flocks (which do have Cackling and Ross's!), it looks like my final number will be

93.

eBird tells me I have recorded 113 species all-time from the yard. However, before my regular eBirding days I can remember at least six other species, so I put my all-time yard list at about 119.

Assuming that is true, than this year's 93 is about 79% of all my yard species. Not bad! I should add that this is the first year I've kept an official yard year list.

My personal yard bird of the year was the Horned Lark that flew over on a cold March 2nd while I was making a snowman with one of the "young'uns"!

I had 9 total yard lifers this year, those being Horned Lark, Cliff Swallow, American Redstart, Chestnut-sided Warbler, Black-throated Blue Warbler, Winter Wren, Wood Duck, Least Sandpiper (nocturnal migrant), Veery (nocturnal migrants), and American Pipit.

Some of my best yard birds over the years include "Oregon" Dark-eyed Junco (possibly 1st county record), Golden Eagle, Caspian Tern, Tundra Swan, Red-headed Woodpecker, Vesper Sparrow, Yellow-breasted Chat, Willow Flycatcher, Orchard Oriole, and Cape May Warbler.

HUGE misses this year were Tufted Titmouse and Carolina Chickadee. I hardly went a few weeks without seeing/hearing one before this year! Other misses were White-breasted Nuthatch, Tundra Swan, Fox Sparrow, and Rusty Blackbird (would be yard lifer but I probably could have gotten a flyover).

I certainly have room to improve next year, including some more dedicated early-and-late-season watching and less... *GASP* s l e e p i n g i n . :eek!:



Best wishes for a pleasant year's end and a Merry Christmas too!

Updated my ebird records yesterday and two more garden additions to end the year:-

44 - Curlew (24.09.19)
45 - Jay (04.12.19)

Last three years - 42 (2017), 54 (2018) & 45 (2019).

All the best

Doing a lot of cooking tomorrow :eek!:so I'm assuming I'll not be adding any last-minute species, which will leave me on 85 for the year, after 86 in 2018 and 87 in 2017. The all-time list is a frustrating 98, with just the two additions this year, Northern Wheatear in May and Pine Bunting (woohoo!) in November. Let's hope I reach the ton in 2020, Whinchat and Stonechat perhaps the likely candidates.
Take care tomorow everyoneB and good birding next year:t:

Spending tomorrow at Rutland Water so my garden year is all over. Not bad as it goes, but nothing outstanding and my highlight has to be Pink-feet passing over.

Best wishes for a successful and bird-rich 2020 to all the garden and yard listers out there.

Steve

Several good birds for me this year, time for the next one!

I did a new record: 76. :-O

Couple of ticks left "Something sp-level". Common or Arctic Tern (this seems to be a problem almost every year) and that damn Acrocephalus in May.

Whole new Garden ticks were: Brant Goose, Northern Shoveler, Goshawk, Rough-legged Buzzard, Common Greenshank, Stock Dove, Acrocephalus sp. and Garden Warbler.

Top 3 were Shoveler, Greenshank and Rough-legged B.

Couple of bad misses too: Common Buzzard, Great Black-backed Gull, Wryneck, Thrush Nightingale and Red-backed Shrike.

I put 2020 target to 80... :eek!: