Do you keep a Backyard Bird List???

Hi everybody. Great lists. We are getting many birds in too with the cold weather. No starlings though, they come through in the spring and then leave, guess we are lucky. I like all the birds. We have many of the ones already listed, many woodpeckers of all sizes (love the pilated) and marsh out front to bring in the ducks, geese, swans, herons, eagles, osprey, and woods for the owls. I wish I had some great pictures. We use a spotting scope for the marsh birds. I started to make a list and was surprized at the number of different ducks alone. The spring is the best for the ducks. If you have ever seen mergansers breeding, what a sight!!!! anyway, the water stayed late this year, not freezing until late Jan. I was surprized to see an osprey hunting at the bird feeder the day after the full ice. I did not know they ate birds. What a sight that was to see. He was only 20 feet from my window in full sight. I have never seen one that close. My camera was a few feet away, but he of course caught sight of me through the window after I moved only a few inches. That would have been my picture of a lifetime!

Hi cparts, That must have been so exciting seeing the Osprey so close!

Wow, cparts, I'd still be talking about it!!!! I think we need to wear our cameras around our necks.

Yup, that is the only time I get a good picture. They don't call them hawk eyes for nothing. We had a redtail nest on our property. They could see us walking in the woods 1/4 mile away and would start screaming. They don't survive by not being alert.
My mother in law always chases the occasional hawk or merlin away when she is here. I like to see them. They are just part of the cycle. Alot of people do not like the bluejays either, but they are so bright and pretty and I have found the other birds to be able to eat with them fine.

Hi, cpartschick-- sounds like you are in a wonderful habitat for birding. Would love to see your list when you get around to keeping one!

Here is another kind of list--a list of (beginners) bird calls for those who are trying to learn (like me!)

http://www.learnbirdsongs.com/index.php

I began to keep a list about 5 years ago when I first began watching. My niece bought a field guide for me after an encounter with a loose Wild Turkey. Originally a city girl, I'd never seen such a bird outside a photo or grocery store. Now in a woodland setting, I see so many beauties. Not as many as some of you though, I've listed about 26.

Today I found a Brown Creeper hopping up and down a tree and that was a first for our property. (I had seen it before but thought it was some kind of finch or sparrow but a birding friend pointed it out---it sure helps to have an expert around! He was here about two minutes when he 'called' it out! Voila!

Here's our yard list to date:

Downy Woodpecker
Hairy Woodpecker
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker
Northern Flicker
Pileated Woodpecker

Northern Cardinal

Northern Mockingbird
Brown-headed Cowbird
European Starling
Blue-jay
Orchard Oriole (or Baltimore?)
American Robin
Mourning Dove

Carolina Chickadee
Tufted Titmouse
Eastern Towhee
Dark-eyed Junco
Carolina Wrens
White-breasted Nuthatch
Red-breasted Nuthatch
Golden Crowned Kinglet
Brown Creeper

American Goldfinch
House Finch
Purple Finch
Redpoll

Crow
Wild Turkey
Common Grackle

Cooper's Hawk
Sharp-shinned Hawk
Red-tailed Hawk

Song Sparrow
American Tree Sparrow
Fox Sparrow
White-throated Sparrow

Ruby-throated Hummingbird

Also a duck and three Canada Geese

If I can get my friend to stay longer, I may have more IDs for this afternoon's count!

Anybody else have some 'firsts' for their yard list?

I am getting my list together. We have the marsh out front so there is good hunting for the preditor birds. The coolest bird we have had shown up was a couple years ago for 2 weeks and we have never seen it again. It was a golden eagle. The bald eagles in the area were not happy and they put on quite a show. The first time I saw "goldie" he was sitting on a stump, I had him in the spotting scope and company came over (a good birder). I had already identified him, but wanted conformation. The friend dropped his jaw after looking in the scope and said. is that what I think? What an amazing sight. We had quite a show off our deck. Goldie was quite a bit larger than the big bald eagles, but they would set in a tree with their wings out to make themselves look bigger, Goldie would dive bomb them and after the feathers flew he would be sitting where the bald eagle was. It was a holiday weekend with lots of friends over. We spent the whole of 2 weekends watching the eagles posturing and screaming at each other. What a great show!!!!

Ok, here is the list. I divided it into what I see out front (water), by feeder, and in the woods right by the house. We see alot of birds. I know I missed some, but here goes.
In the woods:
Pheasant
Ruffled grouse
Barred Owl
Horned Owl
Turkey Vulture
Wood thrush (prettiest song in the woods)
Brown thrasher
Whipperwill (getting rare now)
Scarlet tanger

In the marsh/water:
Great white egret
Great blue heron
Little blue heron
Bittern
Green heron
Least bittern
Sandhill cranes
Sea gulls
Tern
Wood duck
Mallard
Ring neck duck
Common merganser
Hooded merganser
Ruddy duck
Blue snow goose
Snow goose
Canada goose
Mute swan
Tundra swan
Red necked greebe
Loon
Commorant
Sandpipers
Snipe (yes there is such a bird)
Kingfisher
Osprey
Bald eagle
Golden eagle

By the feeder:
Turkey
Red tail hawk
Coopers hawk
Merlin
Mourning dove
Purple Martin
Tree swallow
Woodpeckers:
Downy
Yellow bellied sapsucker
Ladder backed
Pileated
Hairy
Red bellied
Northern flicker
Golden fronted
DownyRed breasted nuthatch
Rufus sided towhee (other house not here)
Robin
Baltimore oriole
Sparrows
Redwing blackbirds
Cedar waxwing
Rose breasted grosebeak
Cow bird
Purple finch
Cardinal
Goldfinches
Eastern phoebe
Ruby throat hummingbird
Blue bird
Blue jay
Titmouse
Chickadee...dee...dee
Grackle
Starlings
Crow
Raven
That is the 10yrs worth that I have been watching. Sure is fun!!!!

Wow! Great story about your Golden Eagle! I understand the 2007 Eagle Watch last month sighted three Goldens in Ohio (a record number, along with a large count of Bald Eagles) so perhaps you will have them visiting again! http://www.ohiodnr.com/wildlife/Resources/Eagle/midwintereaglesurvey_results.htm

Your yard list is quite varied and long! It must be fascinating to have such a range of habitats to search for new sightings!

No, I never saw the website. I did not know goldens went that far south. They are not even suppose to be here. But what a great sight. I hope you get to see one. They are not exciting in color, but when you see him, you will know it is an eagle right away due to the shape and size. He looked like a huge lighter colored imature bald. I think it is great we see eagles now. What a comeback they have made.
Yes, I see alot of birds. They come in and out so fast sometimes it is hard to identify. I usually keep the book by the spotting scope. I study the bird best I can, eye color, leg color, anything else that stands out, before picking up the book, because often they are gone before I get to double ck.
You have to spend alot of time looking to see all the birds we have seen. It is not that easy! Soon they will be flying our way again. You must also get the fly throughs to the north and south. What odd birds have you seen????

Here is a very different list. I have so far recoded 84 birds from my garden in Churchill, Victoria, Australia (including fly-overs). Four different cockatoos as garden visitors is quite special:
Sacred Ibis
Straw-Necked Ibis
White-Faced Heron
Wedge-Tailed Eagle
Brown Goshawk
Collared Sparrowhawk
Black-Winged Kite
Nankeen Kestrel
Black Duck
Wood Duck
Masked Lapwing
Swamp Hen
Galah
Sulphur-Crested Cockatoo
Gang-Gang Cockatoo
Yellow-Tailed Black Cockatoo
King Parrot
Crimson Rosella
Eastern Rosella
Common Bronzewing
Brush Bronzewing
Spotted Turtle-Dove
White-headed Pigeon
Laughing Kookaburra
Sacred Kingfisher
Boobook Owl
Tawny Frogmouth
Shining Bronze-Cuckoo
Fan-Tailed Cuckoo
Pallid Cuckoo
Spine-Tailed Swift
Welcome Swallow
Tree martin
Magpie-Lark
Black-Faced Cuckoo-Shrike
Scarlet Robin
Flame Robin
Rose Robin
Eastern Yellow Robin
Superb Fairy-Wren
Brown Thornbill
Striated Thornbill
Yellow-Rumped Thornbill
Yellow Thornbill
White-Browed Scrub-Wren
Grey Fantail
Rufous Fantail
Willie Wagtail
Satin Flycatcher
Crested Shrike-Tit
Golden Whistler
Rufous Whistler
Olive Whistler
Grey Shrike-Thrush
White's Thrush
Blackbird
Olive-Backed Oriole
Spotted Pardalote
Striated Pardalote
White-Throated Tree-Creeper
Varied Sitella
Eastern Silvereye
Mistletoe Bird
Eastern Spinebill
Crescent Honeyeater
New Holland Honeyeater
White-Eared Honeyeater
Yellow-Faced Honeyeater
Lewin Honeyeater
White-Naped Honeyeater
Brown-Headed Honeyeater
Red Wattle-Bird
Little Wattle-Bird
Australian Magpie
Grey Currawong
Pied Currawong
Grey Butcherbird
Little Raven
Australian Raven
Red-Browed Firetail
European Goldfinch
House Sparrow
European Starling
Indian Mynah

Amazing all the different birds. I have never heard of many of them. What kind of habitat do you have there? Some are water birds, do you have a pond or lake? I see wood ducks on your list too. Aren't they great? They do not even look real, with all their color!!!

I know what you mean c, they always remind me of a elaborately detailed decoy!

My father carved a few decoys when I was a kid. When he did a wood duck, I thought he had made it up. No duck could be that beautiful or shaped like that. I was wrong. That has to be my favorite duck to see.

Hi, kennedy, ---84 is a pretty darn good long list! I knew you knew a lot about birds and you don't even have to leave your porch to study them!

(k., I was hoping you would chime in on this thread--I hadn't seen nor heard of/from you in a long time! So, hello!)

No new birds here today. Even my Pileateds have stopped visiting and it's been 7 degrees F here and our professional photographer who is trying to catch them for a photo is sitting out in the back yard in his camo tent/blind for six hours now waiting for them! I feel so bad about it, and the photographer won't even take some hot coffee from us...

No pond or lake, the water birds are mostly fly overs.
The Australian Wood Duck is however a grazing duck and is often seen on green grass away from water.
Thet have been in our garden a couple of times and more often on the grass roadside verge.
They are called Wood Duck, because they nest in holes in trees often quite high up.
Here are a pair of Wood Duck on our front verge:

wow nothing like ours at all. Very pretty

Ours are called wood ducks because I think, they nest in a dead tree. It is great to see them fly in at full speed to a whole. I have never seen the babies come out, but I once saw the mother scurry away like hurt and knew the babies were there but couldn't see them. I waited a minute and all of a sudden the ground came to life with peepers. It was great! The babies were adorable! I had my camera, but they scattered so fast I could not get a picture!

I just added one new bird to my garden list (now 85 species) and a beauty at that. Yesterday evening a flock of Musk Lorikkeets (Glossopsitta concinna) flew squeeling across the garden. I followed them by listening for their calls and found them feeding on the flowers of a tall Eucalyptus tree a couple of hundred yards up the road from us.
These are nectar feeding birds and are often found around flowering Eucalypts.
Here is the only picture I have, taken back in 1983 in Tasmania feeding on the Red-flowering Gum (Corymbia ficifolia):

Congrats on your Musk Lorikeet http://birdsinbackyards.net/finder/display.cfm?id=361 addition, kennedy! (Had to look it up) Is it rather rare in your area, k.?

Yesterday se had a new one for our list too-- a Pine Warbler.

I think that we may add a few to our yard list now that the bird photographer is coming around every day to shoot--he knows the birds so much better than we do so I am excited!

I'm based in North Western New Jersey. I keep a list of all my garden birds. I include birds I've heard from my garden as well as fly overs. I also note nesting birds (n) on my list. I am hoping to increase the ratio of birds vs. nesting over time. So far my list is at a modest 51, although I am hoping that once I increase the numbers of fruit bearing trees/shrubs that this list will increase. I am also starting to keep a list of mammals in my garden. So far I have Chipmunk, White tailed Deer, Red Fox, Groundhog, Raccoon (n), Grey and Red Squirrel.

Blackbird, Red Wing
Bluebird, Eastern (n)
Cardinal, Northern
Catbird, Gray
Chicadee, Black Capped
Cowbird, Brown Headed
Creeper, Brown
Crow, American (n)
Cuckoo, Yellow Billed
Finch, House (n)
Flicker, Common
Goldfinch, American
Goose, Canada
Grackle, Common
Hawk, Red Tailed
Hawk, Sharp Shinned
Hummingbird, Ruby Throated
Jay, Blue
Junco, Slate Colored
Kinglet, Golden Crowned
Kinglet, Ruby Crowned
Merganser, Common
Mockingbird, Northern
Nuthatch, White Breasted
Nuthatch, Red Breasted
Oriole, Baltimore
Owl, Screech
Phoebe, Eastern
Robin, American
Sparrow, House
Sparrow, White Throated
Sparrow, Chipping (n)
Sparrow, Savannah
Sparrow, Fox
Sparrow, Song
Sparrow, White Crowned
Starling, European (n)
Swallow, Tree (n)
Swallow, Cliff
Swallow, Barn
Swift, Chimney
Titmouse, Tuffted
Vulture, Turkey
Vulture, Black
Warbler, Yelllow Rumped
Waxwing , Cedar
Woodpecker, Red Bellied
Woodpecker, Downy
Woodpecker, Hairy
Wren, House (n)

It is actually easy to get to 50 once you keep an eye out and you have a field guide to help with ID. I think the hard part is going to be getting beyond this point. I am hoping to get my garden list over 100 in the next couple of years......

PS: The Saw whet Owl was seen on a birding trip, not my garden... I wish.

Nice list...if we all could be that organized. I just ck them off in the book and note the year. Every year we add more. With the habitat you created you should have no problem. Love the owl picture.

I just started getting more organized. I had a scribble list that I kept in my Peterson Bird book. When I got to 50 I was very impressed, only to realize that I had a double entry so I was actually on 49. I looked for a new bird and managed to get a new one. 50 for the second time.....only to realize there was yet another double. I was NOT impressed. Since then I managed to add yet another bird. Needless to say the celebration for the 3rd 50 was not that huge...... Since then I have created an Excel spreadsheet with the garden birds, to avoid any doubles. I do this only for my garden birds. My life list is just marked off in my Peterson. God forbid I ever lose that baby.

I am hoping that I can get the Screech owls to nest in my garden. I have had an owl box up for 2 years with no luck. I've had pellets in and around the box. This spring all I saw were squirrels.

Including a Barred Owl for your pleasure. Pretty rare in this area....

Super list!!! And wonderful owl photos - doggone it, I have yet to even see an owl, let alone get a picture.

Great pic QuinJ! I heard owls around here at night but have never seen one.

I think I only have 35 on my list.

Interesting lists for everyone. And so different!

And the barred owl pic is something I covet! Very rare in these parts, too.

I wish we could get owls to next here, too, but I think it's too busy---

Had lunch with a friend last week who goes on bird watching cruises around the world. The cruise/adventure companies advertise the cruises featuring the rare birds they will see on the shore hikes and birders sign up according to the birds they need to add to their life lists. Sounds like 'Extreme Birdwatching' to me. They have been on several of these!

Just wish I could ID the different birds in our yard from my lawn chair. We have had some very interesting warblers this spring but I can't see them well enough to ID. The cruises seem a bit over the top, but maybe I'll get to that stage soon enough!

Hi everybody,

Oh boy, lists! I've just been putting mine into my DG journals! =D I'm only going to put the birds that I'm completely positive about, so my list won't be quite as long as the others. But, I'm proud of it, so far. Flyovers = *

Here's my Backyard List
Canada Goose*
Mallard
Ring-billed Gull*
Turkey Vulture (just the other day)*
Red-tailed Hawk
American Kestrel
Rock Dove (Pigeon) - yesterday, it was all white
Mourning Dove
Common Flicker
Downy Woodpecker
Blue Jay
Common Crow
Swallow (finally IDed a Barn Swallow - may have other kinds, too)*
Purple Martin
Black-capped Chickadee
Brown Creeper
Gray Catbird
American Robin
Red-winged Blackbird
Common Grackle
Starling
Baltimore Oriole (saw for 1st time a few days ago!)
Cardinal
Rose-breasted Grosbeak
Purple Finch
House Finch
American Goldfinch
Dark-eyed Junco
House Sparrow
Brown-headed Cowbird

Birds seen in other places
Great Blue Heron
Ruddy Duck
Belted Kingfisher
Brown Pelican (Florida vacation)
Snowy Egret (ditto)
Mute Swan
Ruby-throated Hummingbird (West Virginia vacation)
Pilated Woodpecker
Red-bellied Woodpecker

So 30 in the backyard and 9 more in other places. Okay, 39 isn't bad. Ü The Red-tailed Hawks and Turkey Vulture really excited me since we live less than 10 miles from Chicago. Here's my best pic of a Red-tailed Hawk. I think it was a teenager learning to fly cause it crashed on my neighbor's roof and was scared of the little birds attacking it! It kept making sad sounds to another hawk that was far away.

~Kristy

edited - I had a double, oops!
edited again to add a bird ;)

This message was edited Jun 29, 2007 6:56 AM

This message was edited Jul 1, 2007 11:46 AM

Very nice list Kristy!!

Thank you, pelletory! So when are you going to post your list? Come on, share, lol!

~Kris

Yes, pelle, I know you have lots of great ones on your property! Nice list, Irislover--we have about the same visitors! And love the owl pic, Quin!

I have seen some new ones in the past month, but I am not quick enough to make an ID. One indigo bunting which was very pretty.

The hatchlings and fledglings are so fun to watch with their mothers, too! And the baby hummingbirds know no fear of the squirrels who are monopolizing one nectar feeder!

I am going to spend the weekend with the binocs trying to add a few more to my list. I have to catch up!

Lately I have been trying to learn the butterflies in the garden too. Not always easy to discern, either!

Have a great birding weekend. t.

I used to get a good variety but now the Starlings,Grackles and Jays are keeping them all away. I get more sightings when I go over to the next town.Here it is anyway.
European Starlings
Common Grackles
House Sparrows
Blue Jays
American Crow
RT Hummingbirds
Song Sparrows
Red winged Blackbirds
Cowbirds
White Throated Sparrows
Chipping Sparrow
Mourning Daves
Carolina Wrens
Catbird
American Goldfinch
Tree Swallows
Turkey Vultures
Red tailed Hawks
Sharp shinned Hawks
White Breasted Nuthatch
House Finch
Dark eyed Junco's
Black capped Chickadees
Eastern Bluebbirds
Downy Woodpeckers
Hairy Woodpeckers
Northern Flicker
Yellow Bellied Sapsucker
Red bellied Woodpeckers
Cardinals
Robins
Mockingbirds
Yellow Rumped Warbler
Tufted Titmouse
Cedar Waxwings
Mallards
Canada Geese
Laughing Gulls (at the shore)
Mute Swans
Purple Martins

I think I'm missing a few but thats good enough for now.

1. Steller’s Jay
2. Scrub Jay
3. Spotted Towhee
4 .Western Tanager
5. Black Headed Grosbeak
6. Blue Heron
7. Bald Eagle
8. Osprey
9. Quail (California)
10. Quail (Mountain)
11. Pheasant (Ring-Necked)
12. Peacock
13. Red-tailed Hawk
14.Turkey Vulture
15. Falcon (Prairie)
16. Falcon (Peregrine)
17. Grouse (Blue)
18. Flicker (Northern)
19. Woodpecker (Acorn)
20. Woodpecker(Pileated)
21. American Kestrel
22. Pelican (Brown)
23. Pelican (White)
A wonderful bird is the Pelican. His bill can hold more than his belican. He can take in his beak Food enough for a week; But I’m dam--d if I know how the helican.
24. Blackbird (Brewers)
25. Blackbird (Redwing)
26. Robin
27. Meadowlark (Western)
28. Bluebird (Western)
29. Coot (American)
30. Crow (American)
31. Magpie (Yellow-Billed)
32. Curlew (Long-Billed)
33. Mourning Dove
34. Egret(Great)
35. Goldfinch (Lesser)
36. Flycatcher (Dusky)
37. Dipper (American)
38. Green Heron
39. Hummingbird Anna’s
40. Hummingbird Rufous
41. Killdeer
42. Kingfisher-Belted
43. Mallard
44. Merganser-Common
45. Oriole (Bullock’s)
46. Owl (Barn)
47. Owl (Spotted)
48. Owl (Great Horned)
49. Pigeon (Feral)
50. Pigeon (Band-Tailed)
51. Roadrunner
52. Starling
53. Swallow (Tree)
54. Swallow (Barn)
55. Turkey (Wild) .

56. Shearwater (Sooty)

I was born and raised on the Pacific Coast (Santa Cruz Ca.) so as a youngster I saw a lot of sea birds but wasn’t interested enough to identify them, the same for small song birds. This list contains only those birds that I am relatively sure of the identification

Number 23 tee hee.... Santa Cruz....ummmm and its famous Mystery Spot!

Great list adel!!

How does someone from New Jersey know about the Mystery spot?

Great lists, pelletory and adelbertcat!

Pelletory - you have hummingbirds - I am so jealous, lol! My books say they're in our area and I see feeders in the stores, but I'm still not convinced we have any, lol. No one I know has ever seen one, feeder or no, lol. When I finally saw some in person, in West Virginia, my relatives were laughing at me. One said, "You act like you've never seen a hummingbird before!" And I said, "I haven't!" LOL! ;P

Adelbertcat - pelican, lol!

Tabasco - thanks for posting the link to that "learn bird songs" site, that's great!

I want to tempt our Baltimore Orioles out into the open. So, my dad and I made this contraption to hang on the porch railing. Once we're all done, I go into the kitchen to get an orange and some grape jelly - and find we're all out. So I put a grapefruit and strawberry jelly in it, lol. I don't think they're interested - and if they taste the grapefruit, they might hate me, LOL! ;P

~Kris

This message was edited Jul 1, 2007 11:41 AM

So what is the New Jersey Mystery spot??

Resin