Garden Mega

I don't keep lists of birds that I have seen, and I am not criticising those that do, but I have no idea what my life list is, how many birds I have seen in the UK, or even year lists. However, I do keep a garden list for birds and moths. Why just my garden, and why just those taxa I don't know.

I had to tidy my garden list up recently so I could enter a lockdown garden birding competition organised by Steve Gale over at North Downs & Beyond , and I can tell you that up until today I have recorded 69 species of birds from my garden. So that could include birds foraging or nesting in the garden, flying over, or even just heard calling at night. In fact, I have listed all the birds I have recorded below:

Mute Swan

Pink-footed Goose

Greylag Goose

Canada Goose

Mallard

Common Scoter

Grey Heron

Cormorant

Sparrowhawk

Common Buzzard

Kestrel

Merlin

Coot

Oystercatcher

Northern Lapwing

Dunlin

Common Snipe

Curlew

Common Sandpiper

Common Redshank

Black-headed Gull

Mediterranean Gull

Lesser Black-backed Gull

Herring Gull

Great Black-backed Gull

Feral Pigeon

Woodpigeon

Collared Dove

Common Swift

Great Spotted Woodpecker

Magpie

Jackdaw

Rook

Carrion Crow

Raven

Blue Tit

Great Tit

Coal Tit

Skylark

Sand Martin

Swallow

House Martin

Long-tailed Tit

Common Chiffchaff

Willow Warbler

Sedge Warbler

Blackcap

Goldcrest

Wren

Starling

Blackbird

Fieldfare

Song Thrush

Redwing

Mistle Thrush

Robin

Dunnock

House Sparrow

Tree Sparrow

Grey Wagtail

Pied Wagtail

Tree Pipit

Meadow Pipit

Chaffinch

Greenfinch

Goldfinch

Siskin

Linnet

Lesser Redpoll

Why are you telling us all this, I can hear you say? Well, it's by way of an introduction to yesterday's garden mega!

During the lockdown period, and indeed whenever I am working in my home office, I stop every thirty minutes or so and spend five minutes in the garden looking skywards.

I was already pleased with a Raven over earlier in the morning, but at 10:00 a.m. when I walked to the end of the garden (a short walk) and looked back at my house, I could see a passerine perched on top of my roof. It was silhouetted against the bright blue sky, so I couldn't see with the naked eye what it was. I thought it looked 'odd', so I lifted my bins to check it out, and I was amazed to see that it was a female Wheatear! A female Wheatear perched on the roof of my house - mega!!!

Now Wheatears are not rare by any means, and are a very common migrant in spring and autumn on the coast close to home. But what on earth was a Wheatear doing on my roof in crystal clear conditions at that. You might understand it if it had been a dreich sort of day, and the weather had grounded it, but it was glorious.

Needless to say, this was a first record for the garden, taking me to 70 species. I took a few shots of the Wheatear from both the front and back of my house, and the shots were better from the front as the sun was slightly behind me in this position.

By this time, I had given Gail a shout, and she came out to enjoy the Wheatear. Even Gail was a bit excited! Whilst we were watching it, it flew down towards the ground towards my next-door neighbour's front garden. I looked along the lane from my gateway and it was attempting to feed on the pavement by picking up berries.

This gave me a clue as to why it was perched on top of my house. I suspect that it had been migrating most of the night in clear conditions with a light south-easterly wind, and when the day dawned it carried on in the clear conditions, probably until it was out of fuel (fat reserves), and then it just pitched down where it was. This to me explains why it was investigating unsuitable food types like berries. It also looked a tad miserable, if a bird can look miserable.

It then moved on to my neighbour's drive, and that was where I left it. I checked again half an hour later, and it was gone. So, I hope it found some food, and moved at least to a more suitable foraging area. It's funny how such a common bird, out of context, can cause so much excitement!

In case you have been wondering what's been in my moth trap over the past few days, it's been quiet. On Monday (13th) there were just four Hebrew Characters, yesterday just two Hebrew Characters and this morning (15th) two Hebrew Characters and an Early Grey.

I don't think I'll be able to beat yesterday's Wheatear, but I will be looking!