Bird list

[adaeze]

At Wellinghall's request, an updated back garden bird list.

Collared dove
Wood pigeon
Blackbird
Robin
Great tit
Blue tit
Long tailed tit
Chiffchaff / Willow warbler
Song thrush
Jay
Goldfinch
Black cap
Chaffinch
Magpie
Dunnock
Wren
Pied wagtail
Bullfinch
Mistle thrush
Fieldfare
Crow
Peregrine.

22 different species seen in or over the garden, not counting the sparrowhawk (presence inferred from neat circle of pigeon feathers, but not actually seen), or the kestrel, redwings or assorted gulls that hang out just beyond the boundary, flatly refusing to come on in.  On the other hand I am including the crows and peregrine, as I'm fairly confident they did fly directly over our patch, though I'm not completely 100% certain about them.

Both Wellinghall and I think we've seen a coal tit as well, but haven't had a good enough view to be sure of the species.

Comments

[pellegrina.livejournal.com]

We tend to count anything seen from the garden in our list. It saves trying to figure out if the raptorish speck in the sky is directly overhead, or above the neighbours!

[adaese.livejournal.com]

Unfortunately it was seen while I was outside the garden, on a nearby path. I did get a good clear look at it as it came past - one of the best sightings of a peregrine I've ever had, actually - but working out whether it was over our garden, or just slightly further forward, meant trying to gauge depth. While it was dodging crows at high speed.

[gurthaew.livejournal.com]

We have always used the criterion that it has to be visible from the property when recording birds in Mother's garden. Cheating by standing on the roof along the lines of a modern day St Simeon Stylites isn't allowed. There's a space on her daily tick-list to record events such as the weather (e.g. heavy continual rain means next to no birds moving about)as well as birds seen in the locality (kestrel seen whilst walking to the shops) and also if we heard something (owl, in a tree but hiding).

So far, in Merton, I've managed to see house and hedge sparrows, blackbird, song thrush, blue and great tits, green finch, chaffinch, gold finch (we had a bit of an infestation last year), jackdaw, starling, wood pigeon, collared dove, Graham's chickens (they escaped from his garden), rooks, red kite, sparrowhawk, pied wagtail, white wagtail (I think - it was a lot greyer than the pied), odd gulls, various geese and ducks heading towards the flooded gravel pit, owl that screeches, robin

Birds seen in the area that could visit when I'm not looking are little owl, kestrel, greater spotted woodpecker (the evil Oedipus caught one in the churchyard, buzzard.

Birds seen in the area that are unlikely to visit but could be seen overhead: pheasant, kingfisher, fieldfare, redwing, black swan, tufted duck, great crested grebe, coot (we had one running down the road once), moorhen, mute swan, mallard, heron.

Then of course there are all the types that visit Otmoor. Talking to an RSPB man he said that hobby and goshawk have been seen there.