Yard Birds

As I cut the grass today I thought about the birds that have been seen in, over and around the garden during the winter. This is what is known across the water as a Yard Birds List.

1. Blackbird - a female spends each day hanging around under the feeders, waiting for crumbs to fall - a male turns up occasionally
2. Wood Pigeons - always some in the trees behind the garden, or waddling around the lawn
3. Blue Tits - frequent visitors to the feeders every day
4. Coal Tit - male is a regular-as-clockwork visitor to the crushed peanuts; female visits occasionally
5. Great Tits - two pairs seem to visit
6. Long-Tailed Tits - a small flock turns up on the fat/peanut butter balls late each afternoon
7. Robin - fights a constant battle to get onto the tit feeders - also has its own mealworm supply
8. Dunnock - occasionally loafs around under the mealworm feeder
9. Wren - snuffles around in the undergrowth
10. Mistle Thrushes - overfly occasionally
    
11. Magpie - noisily rules the roost in the trees, and struts around the lawn
12. Jays - early morning visitors, in twos and threes
    
13. Collared Doves - few this year, but will probably return in time to coo endlesly through the spring
14. Greenfinches - numbers recently increased - keep to the front garden for some reason
15. Chaffinches - also increased in the last fortnight - mostly keep to the trees
16. Goldcrest - occasional visitor high in the trees
    
17. Carrion Crow - frequently in trees
18. Jackdaws - rarely in the garden, but often fly over from the cliff roost
19. Great Spotted Woodpeckers - frequently fly over, but not yet enticed in
20. Green Woodpeckers - occasionally we hear the yaffle
21. Tawny Owls - at least three separate birds calling at the moment
22. Kestrels - occasionally fly over
23. Sparrowhawks - -"-
24. Herring Gulls - noisily keeping to the highest roofs nearby
25. Black-Headed Gulls - fly in from roosting on the sea every day, to feed on the fields
26. Starlings - infrequently fly over
27. Curlew - can sometimes be heard if the wind is from the sea
28. Pheasant - occasional calls from behind the garden fence

No Song Thrushes have been seen or heard this winter, although they are usually regular here; also no House Sparrows nearby. No Bullfinches have been seen for a couple of years.

No warblers have overwintered, although both Chiffchaffs and Blackcaps were with us last year. I expect their calls soon, given the weather, and swallows may arrive early.

Thanks to the NW Nature Nut for the peanut butter recipe.

By the way, I saw The Yardbirds in Deal last year, and although they had some of the original members, Clapton, Beck and Page failed to turn up.