A Black Redstart chasing late autumn flies across my conservatory roof prompted me to reflect on the various bird species that have graced my garden since I moved into my present accommodation in 2004.
Thanks to the wonders of modern technology I am fortunate enough to work from home in west Cornwall and I was careful to ensure that the room I use as an office is situated on the side of the house overlooking a field and hedgerow for maximum bird opportunities!
Like many birdwatchers I am an inveterate keeper of garden lists and a pair of binoculars is always at hand by my office window in case I spot something of interest. The very first bird here was actually a storm-blown Gannet which I brought back from Scilly on the day that I moved in and christened my conservatory with that pungent odour of fish and ocean familiar to anyone who has visited a Gannet colony! Unfortunately the well defined rules for garden listing meant that I could not begin with Gannet as it arrived in a cardboard box rather than by free flight, but the next day the list began in earnest with Swallow, House Martin and Rook, increasing to 37 species by the end of October, a total which included a late Turtle Dove, something of a local rarity at any time.
Over the last 5 years my garden list has slowly increased to 70 species, a modest total by the standards of better favoured, larger gardens but one that has provided me with many hours of enjoyable birding. Additions in the last year have included an adult Mediterranean Gull in the field, a Firecrest in my neighbour’s shrubs and an Osprey gliding directly over the house causing mayhem amongst the large population of roof-nesting Herring Gulls in the village. Peregrines and Sparrowhawks regularly achieve the same reaction, as do the plentiful local Buzzards, which have to endure a noisy mobbing every time they appear.
I have also seen Red Kites from the office and there is plenty of scope for new raptors such as Black Kite. Greenland Falcon and Honey Buzzard have all occurred within a mile or two of the house. An interesting observation in recent years has been the appearance in late summer of Siskins on my sunflower feeder. By contrast, Siskins have not visited the feeders during the winter months, but for three years now, a family party of several youngsters and their parents have arrived in late July, lingered for about a week then departed. I have not been able to pin down where they nest but Siskin is not a common breeding bird in Cornwall and it would be nice to locate them, although I do have my suspicions where the site is.
Garden birdwatching is also a good way to observe the ebb and flow of migration over the seasons and, as I write, the recently ploughed field is full of finches and sparrows, whilst last week it was Redwings and a few Fieldfares that paused briefly to feed in the adjacent hedgerow.
So far this garden has not hosted any rare visitors, but at previous addresses in this area I have been entertained by appearances of Rose-coloured Starling, Pallas’s Warbler and fly-over Common Crane; and with Mount’s Bay just a mile or two across the fields there is plenty of potential for a similar surprise one day!