The Lincolnshire Bird Club

Howdy,

although I haven't done a report since Oct 19th I still watch the birds nearly every day in both front and rear gardens.

Oct 26th:

female Sprawk in back garden snacking on a Starling, filmed and photos of it.
Coal/Great/Blue/LT Tit - 1
Blackbird - 1 first winter
Spugs - 9
Common Gull - 5
Goldfinch - 3
Chaffinch - 2

Nov 3rd:

Blue Tit - 4
Great Tit - 2
Coalie - 1
Blackbird - 6
Goldfinch - 7
Chaffinch - 4
Spugs - 24
Greenfinch - 4
C Dove - 8 ( one nearing its end, next day it had)
W Pigeon - 1

Nov 10th:

C Dove - 8 + 12 over
Jackdaw - 20 over
Crow - 4 over
Common Gull - 22 over
Dunnock - 1
Wood Pigeon - 1 + 8 over
And same birds and numbers as on the 3rd Nov.

Nov 19th:

male Sprawk in rowan tree.
Starling - c24
Robin - 1
Magpie - 1
With the usual birds and numbers as above.

Nov 22nd:

At 16:45 had some PFG over going west.

Although not a bird as such, in the evening (17:45) while stood at back door chatting with a pal spotted a bright light in the sky coming from a northerly-easterly direction over me then went in a south-westerly direction, (so got the bins and watched it till it came almost level with me ), I was flummoxed to say the least cos I knew it was the ISS, it was a clear sky and no sound of any engines plus the speed it goes! Told my pal who hadn't seen it before. From all the info I've read about it, it always passes over the UK from a westerly direction as it has on the two dozen sightings I've had this year (with my previous sighting on the 11th August). Even now I still cannot believe it came from the direction it did but it certainly was the ISS unless someone knows different. I get such a kick from seeing it. I've not been watching for it since. I get emails when its doing a visible pass but certainly didn't get one for the above date. Odd.

Nov 30th:

Coal Tit - 2
Plus usual gang and numbers.

Dec 2nd:

Blue Tit - 6
LT Tit - 6
Great Tit - 2
Coal Tit - 1
Plus the gang.

Dec 3rd:

Blue Tit - 10 all seen together on the peanut feeders, that's the most I have had at once.
Coal Tit - 2
Great Tit - 4
Dunnock - 1
C Doves - 3
Chaffinch - 3
Robin - 1
Magpie - 1
Common Gull - 6

Dec 9th:

Getting at least 6 Blue Tits every day, 2 Great Tit, Coalie as well. Greenfinch are just starting to pick up, other pals say the Greeny has not been seen much. still plenty of assorted berries left. Had 22 Common Gull over this afternoon with a few corvids. All the other birds mentioned above are coming every day.

Well that's got that up to date.

Cheers

JTG

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GETTING OLD HAS IT'S ADVANTAGES BUT I CAN'T REMEMBER WHAT THEY ARE lol

Dec 11th:

pair of Blackbirds taking pyracantha and viburnum berries.

Dec 17th:

Common Gull - 12 in back garden
Chaffs - 7
plus usual.

Jan 13th 2016:

Good views of the ISS at 06.03 and 07.36

Jan 20th:

Magpie -1
Coal Tit - 1
Chaffs - 9
Blackbird - 1pr
Common Gull - 2
Blue Tit - 2
Great Tit - 2
C Dove - 3
Wood Pigs - 2
Starling - 4
Spugs - 18
Greenfinch - 2
Goldfinch - 2

Jan 31st:

Common Gull - 18 in back garden

Feb 8th:

LT Tit - 3 also seen next day.
Black-head Gull - 1
Common Gull - 18
Robin - 2
Dunnock - 1
Chaffs - 9

Feb 10th:

Buzzard being mobbed by a Common Gull over the back garden, not seen a Buzz over for quite some time.
Robin - 2
Great Tit, Greenfinch, Chaffs, Dunnock, W Pigs, C Doves, Starlings - 22, Blackbird - 2, Spugs - 20.
early afternoon while at kitchen window spotted movement in the conifer got bins and yippee it was a Goldcrest (not seen one since a year last Oct) got camera and although it was 70' away got a poor photo while said bird in flight and yes it was one

That's got up to date.

Cheers

John

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GETTING OLD HAS IT'S ADVANTAGES BUT I CAN'T REMEMBER WHAT THEY ARE lol

Feb 16th: LT Tit - 2

Feb 19th:

My best day of year! After hearing the gulls calling above while I pruned the lilac I looked to my right and noticed FOUR Buzzard (first seen at 11.30) displaying and they weren't high, I fetched the bins and watched them performing, I told my neighbour and we watched them for a good ten minutes until they drifted east but within twenty minutes two returned, in total must have had at least one or more in view for at least an hour, WOW we certainly don't need to be in the countryside to see raptors! Other sightings:
Jackdaw - 4, Common Gull - 10, Crow - 6, Great/Blue Tit - 2 of each, Greenfinch - 9, Chaffinch - 12, Starling - 9, Dunnock - 2, Spugs - c30, Wood Pigeon - 1, C Dove - 2, Goldfinch - 5, Robin - 1, Magpie - 2, nearly forgot a female Sprawk was in the hawthorn tree mid-afternoon and got some pics, it made a pass through but left empty-taloned.

Feb 20th:

Today at midday a male Sprawk paid a visit and this time although I didn't see it catch it's dinner it had a Starling and it was mantling it, not seen this happen in the garden before and did get some pics, think in total I took a lot and also did a few videos but I'm not expecting them to be good as treess, branches and plants were in the way, but I'll see later. Earlier I'd put some scraps out and 4 Jackdaw and 12 Common Gull (adult and juvs) had them. Up above seen 7 Jackdaw, 18 Common Gull (both adult and juvs), Greenfinch -9, Dunnock - 2, Starling - c200, Magpie - 2. Front garden had c30 Spugs and a dozen Starling.

In the last three weeks I've started a new routine of getting up before nine so obviously seeing more.

Kind regards

John
PS: I just said in the Sightings section that this thread I do was under-read, I checked and in the last nine days there have been 154 views, which is far more than I expected, THANKS to all those who read it!

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GETTING OLD HAS IT'S ADVANTAGES BUT I CAN'T REMEMBER WHAT THEY ARE lol

Hi Max,

Always an interesting read, with a good number of garden species. Not many Lincs gardens will offer views of 4 Buzzards,Sparrowhawks eating prey, plus a wide varietyof the commoner species in good numbers.

Keep it up!

Regards,

Freddy.

Thanks Freddy for those kind remarks!

Feb 23rd: Coal Tit - 1
Feb 24th: Coal Tit - 1, Blue Tit - 4, Great Tit - 3, Dunnock - 2, Robin,
Feb 25th: two female Blackbirds looked to be mating, I was only four feet away!
Feb 27th: Coal Tit - 1, Jackdaw - 1, Magpie - 1, Common Gull - 1, Dunnock - 2, Chaffinch - 12, Greenfinch - 7, Great Tit - 2, Blue Tit - 2, Robin, Blackbird - 4.

Feb 28th: Coal Tit - 1, LT Tit - 2, Great Tit - 2, Blue Tit - 2, Spugs - c30, C Dove nest building in conifer plus 9 other species.

March 1st: Coal Tit - 1.
March 2nd: LT Tit - 2.
March 6th: Jackdaw on fat ball feeder.

March 8th: Coal Tit - 2, Blue Tit - 2, LT Tit -1, Great Tit - 1, Greenfinch - 15, Chaffs - 6, Blackbird female building nest in privet, C Dove still building nest in conifer, feral Pigeon - 3, Wood Pigeon - 2, Starling - 6, Dunnock - 1, Goldfinch - 3, Spugs - c20, Jackdaw - 2, Common Gull - 5 over, Rook - 2 over, Blackbird - 1m (an excellent day)

March 10th: Blue Tit checking new nest box

March 11th:

Buzzard - 3 with two displaying over back garden.
Goldcrest - 1 seen on cherry tree about ten feet from kitchen window
Blue Tit - 3, Great Tit - 2, plus all the usual in decent numbers, all day it was frantic in both front and back.

Having been laid up all week have had more time to watch, hoping to be much better next week, started yesterday putting ice/hot water packs on pulled muscle in right arm. Want to "fully" fit for next Saturday friends are taking me to Grosmont to be pulled by Flying Scotsman When I was a youngster trainspotting was pulled by the Flying Scotsman probably on a school trip (so looking forward to seeing the old lass) according to my log books from the late 50s and early 60s. I'll bet I shed a tear or two and get choked up lol, ahhhhhhhhhhh happy days!

Kind regards

Jonty

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GETTING OLD HAS IT'S ADVANTAGES BUT I CAN'T REMEMBER WHAT THEY ARE lol

Right health first, went to doctors with my arm etc and they said I'd broken a rib, but the pain isn't as bad as last year. On Thursday got a second opinion from out of town, explained what I was doing and they said I've torn a ligament in my deltoid muscle and that is where most of the pain is, tomorrow it will three weeks. Its preventing me doing much, so been reading quite a bit, two books I read found them very moving, now I've started reading much lighter stuff, and my present one is about the Cairngorms, not a place I particularly like, much prefer the west coast!

Right my Flying Scotsman trip was brilliant!! The report is in Non-Lincs section with the sighting of a Black-necked Grebe my first for many years and 21 very tame Turnstones both in Scarborough, made the day even better!!

March 13th: Coal Tit - 1, Jackdaw - 2, Magpie - 3, Crow - 2 all in the garden plus the usual gang.

Since then had the usual small birds plus too many wood pigeon.

I see I've had 232 views in a week, crikey thanks very much for looking. I really love writing that's when I'm in seventh heaven.

Kind regards

John

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GETTING OLD HAS IT'S ADVANTAGES BUT I CAN'T REMEMBER WHAT THEY ARE lol

March 30th:

Pair of Sprawk displaying over back garden .

April 3rd: Coal Tit - 2 seen while sat at the end of garden under the conifer.

April 6th: Dunnock - 2 plus most of the usual gang. The pair of Blackbird are busy feeding the youngsters in the privet.

Cheers

John

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GETTING OLD HAS IT'S ADVANTAGES BUT I CAN'T REMEMBER WHAT THEY ARE lol

April 13th: male Great Tit feeding female on the lilac.

April 16th:

male Sprawk perched in lilac, think it may have been disturbed from its dinner, later found an half eaten starling near the pussy willow.

April 20th:

Pair of Blackbird feeding a juv Blackbird, two pair of Collared Dove plus one juv. Spotted a Blue Tit pecking the entrance to nest box, its been up two years with no takers yet. Dunnocks displaying.

Regards
John

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GETTING OLD HAS IT'S ADVANTAGES BUT I CAN'T REMEMBER WHAT THEY ARE lol

UPDATE:

April 21st: Buzzard mobbed by two gulls.

May 16th: Swift - 2.

May 25th: Blue Tit - one adult + 2 juvs, Collarded Dove - one adult + 1 juv, Dunnock - 1, Greenfinch - 1.

June 3rd: Great Tit - 1, Blue Tit - 1 + 2 juvs, Blackbird - 1pr, Wood Pigeon - 1 pr, C Dove - 1 + 2 juvs, Greenfinch - 1, Dunnock - 2, Starling - 10 + 1 juv, Spugs - 4 + 4juvs, Goldfinch - 2 and Jackdaw - 6.

June 6th: Great Tit - 1 + 1juv, Feral Pigeon - 5, Common Gull - 1, Black-head Gull - 1, Starling - 5 + 1 juv, C Dove - 4, Wood Pigeon - 2, Greenfinch - 1, Goldfinch - 3, Great Tit - 1, Jackdaw - 1, Rook - 6, Blackbird - 1pr.

June 7th: Coal Tit - 1 juv, Magpie - 2, Crow - 1, Rook - 1, Jackdaw - 4, Goldfinch - 1, Wood Pigeon - 4, C Dove - 4, Starling - 6 + 1 juv, Blackbird - 1pr and Feral Pigeon - 6.

June 13th: Goldfinch - 2 + 1 juv, Greenfinch - 3.

June 18th: Swift - 1

Regards

John

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GETTING OLD HAS IT'S ADVANTAGES BUT I CAN'T REMEMBER WHAT THEY ARE lol

Time for an update:

June 21st: juv Great Tit - 1
June 22nd: Great & Blue Tit - one of each.
June 23rd: Magpie - 1.
June 28th: During an heavy shower spotted quite a bit of movement very high above the back door, it was c80 Swift having a feeding frenzy of some kind, never seen more than single figures in years! It only last a few minutes but it was spectacular!

July 1st: Swift - 2.
July 5th: Dunnock - 1 juv, Blue Tit - 1 juv, Blackbird - 4 juv they were all feeding themselves and sadly a dead female adult Blackbird with no signs of damage.
July 11th: Spuggy - 1 adult + 1 juv, Great Tit - 4 juvs, Chaffinch - 1, Greenfinch - 1, Blackbird - 1m.
July 12th: Robin - 1 juv, Blue Tit - 2 juv.

July 16th: Great Tit 4 juv, Blue Tit - 4 juv, Dunnock - 1 juv.
July 19th: Sprawk over and the above juv tits.
July 21st: Goldfinch - 2 adult + 2 juvs.

Not been watching as much of late usual reasons. But there is plenty of activity in the back garden with all the juvs fighting over the food with their elders. Next to know activity in the front garden, strange.

Kind regards

John

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GETTING OLD HAS IT'S ADVANTAGES BUT I CAN'T REMEMBER WHAT THEY ARE lol

Been spending more time in the back garden with all this fine weather.

July 23rd: Buzzard over going west

July 25th: juve Blackbird on front lounge windowsill, managed to take a few pics of it looking in and waiting for mum to feed it. Juve Spuggy being fed by the female in the privet hedge. Goldfinch - two adult and two juvs on nyger feeder.

August 1st: Great Tit - 2 + 2 juvs, Blue Tit - 2 + 2 juvs, Goldfinch - 2 + 2 juvs, Blackbird - 1m + 3 juvs, Dunnock - 1 + 1 juv, Spugs - 6, W Pigeon - 2, C Dove - 2.

August 8th: Wren on the holly, Robin on window box, Spugs - 12 plus the regulars. Nice to see the Wren.

That's it.

Cheers

JTG

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GETTING OLD HAS IT'S ADVANTAGES BUT I CAN'T REMEMBER WHAT THEY ARE lol

Crikey didn't realise its been two months since I wrote owt, not been too good for part of it.

Aug 12th: juv Goldfinch.
Aug 16th: Blue Tit - 12, Coal Tit - 1, Great Tit - 3, House Spugs - 18, Starling - 10, Greenfinch - 2, Goldfinch - 2 + 2juvs, Dunnock - 1juv, Wood Pigeon - 1pr + 1 juv, Collared Dove - 1pr + 1juv, Magpie - 2, Jackdaw - 2.
Aug 19th: Dunnock - 2juv.
Aug 25th: Goldfinch - 10, Blackbird - 2, Collared Dove - 4, Coal Tit - 2.
Aug 26th: Coal Tit - 1 + 1juv, Great Tit - 2, Blue Tit - 3.

Sept 3rd: 100+ gull feeding overhead.
Sept 7th: Coal Tit - 1.
Sept 14th: Goldfinch - 3 + 1juv.
Sept 27th: Goldfinch - 9, Dunnock - 1, C Dove - 5, H Spugs - 24, Chaffinch -1, Greenfinch - 1, Blackbird - 1pr.

Oct 6th: Goldfinch - 10.
Oct 7th: remains of Goldfinch next to clothes post.
Oct 15th: Goldfinch - 16, Chaffinch - 2, C Dove - 14, W Pigeon - 2.

That's up to date.

Cheers

Max

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GETTING OLD HAS IT'S ADVANTAGES BUT I CAN'T REMEMBER WHAT THEY ARE lol

Hi time for a catch-up,

Nov 2nd: Wren in front garden plus 20 Spugs hammering away at the peanuts.

Nov 9th: Robin, Blue Tit, Blackbird - 5, Chaffinch - 2, Spugs at least 30, Goldfinch - 2, Dunnock, C Dove - 5, Common Gull - 2, Magpie and Wood Pigeon.

Nov 29th: Dunnock, Robin, C Dove - 6, Chaffinch - 10, Goldfinch - 9, Crow - 2, Blackbird - 6 most eating the cotonaster berries and cherries, Starling - 6, Common Gull - 13, Greenfinch - 9, W Pigeon - 2 and Spugs - 18.

There are plenty of hawthorn, pyracantha, cherry, cotonaster fruit for the Waxwings if they want to visit

Kind Regards

Jonty

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GETTING OLD HAS IT'S ADVANTAGES BUT I CAN'T REMEMBER WHAT THEY ARE lol

Dec 2nd: Coal Tit, C Dove - 8, Blackbird - 4 enjoying the berries.
Dec 6th: cracking male Sprawk chasing a Blackbird in back garden but failed and rested on fence next to lounge window, no chance of decent photo it was behind a tree, so didn't bother.
Dec 10th: Coal Tit, LT Tit, Feral Pigeon and the male Sprawk again passing through.
Dec 11th: LT Tit - 2, Starling - 26, Blackbird - 4, Blue Tit, Jackdaw - 3, Crow - 4, Common Gull - 13, Goldfinch - 9, Greenfinch - 4, Chaffinch - 6, Spugs - 24, C Dove - 8, Dunnock and W Pigeon - 2.

Enjoying the frantic feeding of the berry eaters and spugs knocking hell out the nuts.

Kind regards

John

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GETTING OLD HAS IT'S ADVANTAGES BUT I CAN'T REMEMBER WHAT THEY ARE lol

HAPPY NEW YEAR ONE AND ALL.

Jan 16th: Goldcrest in back garden - got pics, well chuffed!
Jan 21st: LT Tit - 2 on fat balls.
Jan 25th: Goldcrest in back garden lilac. Female sprawk in cherry tree after hearing a C Dove hit back window and seeing its imprint on it.

Jan 26th: Goldcrest on lilac and cotoneaster in back garden, can't believe my luck, I normally see one per year, so am well pleased!

Jan 27th: Goldcrest on the Photinia, think luck has certainly been on my side this year. Greenfinch - 14 feeding on black sunflower seeds, Chaffinch - 6 on BSS, Magpie - 2 making sure nothing else got a look in with the cheese then being mobbed by 5 Common Gull but the Magpies won, C Dove - 9, W Pigeon - 2, Crow - 1, Blackbird - 4, Spugs - 20, Starling - 12, Blue & Great Tit - 1 and Feral Pigeon - 1, Dunnock - 1 and Robin - 1.

Excellent start to the year

And I've started a new treatment on the 11th and 25th then every two weeks, so looking forward to a new lease on life, only to find out I've probably got gout after suffering these past nine months, but if I keep seeing birds like the Goldcrest I'll be well happy!

Kind regards

John

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GETTING OLD HAS IT'S ADVANTAGES BUT I CAN'T REMEMBER WHAT THEY ARE lol