Since then i've been all over the patch, with my walk to work, several visits to the Woods and even managed to get to the rarely visited corner that is in the opposite direction to everything!
Black-headed Gull
Collared Dove
New Years Day
Magpie & Mistle Thrush
Redwing
Blackbird
Mistle Thrush
Pied Wagtail
Woodpigeon
Rook
The weekend of the 25th was the RSP Big Garden Birdwatch, which I take part in every year, I did my hour between 8.10 and 9.10am on Saturday morning and saw 11 species, not too bad. There was also Coal and Long-tailed Tits later in the day.
Blue Tit 2
Blackbird 1
Robin 1
Great Tit 2
House Sparrow 9
Goldfinch 8
Starling 8
Woodpigeon 2
Collared Dove 1
Feral Pigeon 1
Dunnock 2
Feral Pigeons
Long-tailed Tits
Snowdrops and Bluebells are just starting show in the garden, Snowdrops are in flower already elsewhere around town
The woods are full of birds and birdsong, at the moment it's around sunrise when I get there so the birds are busy, one morning I counted 3 singing Song Thrush!
Coal Tit
Dunnock
Woodpigeon
Woodpigeon
Great Tit
Starlings
Dartmouth Park (the one I don't visit often!) it's overrun with Blackbirds, more than any other spot at the moment. I picked up my first Greenfinch of the year here with several at the tops of the trees with lots of Goldfinch.
Another tree has come down
Blackbirds
This bush was in full flower, not wild but part of the gardens planted there
In both Dartmouth and Scatcherd Parks there is blossom on the trees, these particular ones always flower early in the year
To date i'm up to 29 species around the patch plus various other sightings - Rats in the woods, Wood Mice in our window feeder, Squirrels everywhere, regularly calling Foxes around home, there's even been a bat flying over the garden on milder days!
It occurs to me, Pam, that when you arrived at the parking lot at the crack of dawn on New Year's Day many of the revellers might just have gone to bed, or were recently awake dealing with the effects of the previous night's excess. In any event you have had several rewarding visits to your patch. We will have to refer to it as Pam's Productive Patch! The conditions you are encountering are quite far ahead of what we are experiencing here.
ReplyDeleteI think you're probably right!! It's been a good start to the year so far. Yes we're quite springlike at times, which at this time of year really isn't right!
DeleteQue lindo passarinhar.
ReplyDeleteEnvolto de uma natureza inebriante.
Fascinante ao olhar.
Saudações.
Megy Maia
Obrigada Megy :)
DeleteCan't think of a better place to be to start the New Year than your birding patch! You got really good shots of what you saw, I love that Dunnock shot. Your Back Yard count is impressive!! Enjoy the rest of the week.
ReplyDeleteThanks Sondra :) It was lovely to have it pretty much to myself too!
DeleteGreat start to your birding year and patch. Lovely photos too.
ReplyDeleteThanks Amanda :)
DeleteLooks as though you have some super places nearby on your patch to look for birds Pam. Great sightings and lovely photos :) A good total too in the Big Garden Birdwatch :)
ReplyDeleteThanks Caroline, it may not have the rarest birds but it's a good little patch!
DeleteSo many lovely things on your patch. You recorded some interesting birds on your bird watch. Lovely photos of the blackbird with red berries and great to see a mistle thrush:)
ReplyDeleteThanks Rosie, it's a good start to the year so far :)
Delete