Warning! Twitcher Geek post ahead!!
I've been hard at work writing an article about Japan today. I'll let you know if / when / where it's published in due course.
So I've had my head down most of the time, but when I look up for inspiration (ie... gazing into the distance, thinking) I notice my garden is full of birds.
Now I grew up in a bird-watching family so know most of the birds I'm looking at, but it's still a lovely sight to see them in my garden. There are also some of the more 'unusual' garden birds. There are a couple I'm unsure about as when I looked them up to find their Latin names, I discovered some alternate options, noted below.
Perhaps I should feed them, but Raymi-cat has become a little braver and ventures out in the late afternoon / early evening now, so it seems cruel to encourage the birds to what could be a premature and unpleasant death.
Anyway, here's my list of "Birds I've Seen in My Garden Today":
- Black Redstart - Phoenicurus ochruros
- Blackbird - Turdus merula
- Blackcap - Sylvia atricapilla
- Bluetit - Cyanistes caeruleus
- Chaffinch - Fringilla coelebs
- Chiffchaff - Phylloscopus collybita
- Coal tit - Periparus ater
- Common Redstart - Phoenicurus phoenicurus
- Great tit - Parus major
- Greater Spotted Woodpecker or Medium Spotted? - Dendrocopos major / Dendrocopos medius (I didn't realise the Medium Spotted existed until I looked the Latin name up just now, so I'm not sure which I had in my garden)
- Lesser Spotted Woodpecker - Dendrocopos minor
- Hooded crow - Corvus cornix
- House Sparrow - Passer domesticus
- Eurasian Tree Sparrow - Passer montanus (Again, not sure about this - to me, it looks similar to the House Sparrow)
- European Starling - Sturnus vulgaris
- Jay - Garrulus glandarius
- Magpie - Pica pica
- Nuthatch - Sitta europaea
- Robin - Erithacus rubecula
- White Wagtail - Motacilla alba
- Wood pigeon - Columba palumbus
- Wren - Troglodytes troglodytes
There are Nightingales around too, heard but not seen. And probably Warblers, but I can't tell one Warbler from another so tend to ignore them.
Perhaps I'll finally learn their differences while I'm here.
Blackbird Turdus merula
Bluetit Cyanistes caeruleus
Chaffinch Fringilla coelebs
Chiffchaff Phylloscopus collybita
Hooded crow Corvus cornix
Jay Garrulus glandarius
Greater Spotted Woodpecker or Medium Spotted? Dendrocopos major / Dendrocopos medius
Lesser Spotted Woodpecker Dendrocopos minor
Magpie Pica pica
Great tit Parus major
Coal tit Periparus ater
Wood pigeon Columba palumbus
Common Redstart Phoenicurus phoenicurus
Black Redstart Phoenicurus ochruros
Robin Erithacus rubecula
Nuthatch Sitta europaea
House Sparrow Passer domesticus
Eurasian Tree Sparrow Passer montanus
White Wagtail Motacilla alba
Wren Troglodytes troglodytes
Blackcap Sylvia atricapilla
European Starling Sturnus vulgaris