🐦⬛ Garden nature diary: January 2025
January 1
Got my yearly bird list off to a twelve-tick start with thirty minutes or so looking out over the garden.
dunnock, wood pigeon (displaying bird), magpie, robin, chaffinch (m,f), great tit, blue tit, black-headed gull c.25, lesser black-backed gull, coal tit, blackbird (m), carrion crow.
January 2
Male and female chaffinches on feeding station.
January 3
Three new species: four long-tailed tits on feeding station, two goldfinches on sunflower hearts and a wren on the patio.
Up to 15 for the year.
January 4
Greenfinch on the feeding station, which takes the tick list to 16.
Wren on the patio.
January 5
First stock dove in the garden, the 17th bird of the year.
Five goldfinches on the feeding station.
Wren on the patio, two male blackirds on the lawn and a pair (no antagonism) of robins.
January 6
Herring gull and common buzzard in flight over the eastern slope. Pair of ravens semi-displaying over the eastern slope.
Three new birds for the year, up to 20.
January 7
Calling raven flew over the drive, as I was about to get in the car.
January 8
The pair of robins are still in the garden.
January 9
Pair of jackdaws in flight over our home bringing the total for the year to 21.
January 11
The pair of robins still showing well. They’re resident now.
Three long-tailed tits on the feeding station.
January 12
Nice to see that the male blackcap has survived the extremely cold spell. It (assuming it’s the same bird from the end of last year) was on the fat balls for a while this afternoon. That’s 22 for the year.
January 13
A sparrowhawk flashed through the garden today. The first of the year, although I’ve come across four remains of kills in 2025. Up to 23.
January 15
Two cormorants in flight, seen from the garden. Mistle thrush at dusk heading to the woodland beyond our home to roost.
Two new species, taking the total to 25 for the year.
January 16
The pair of robins in the back garden joined by a third bird, which they squabbled with.
Regular male sparrowhawk flew into the garden, saw me and was then off again.
January 17
Wren feeding on the patio.
January 19
Stock dove in the garden, feeding on the station dish.
January 20
Wren on the patio feeding.
January 21
Pair of robins still in the garden. Wren on the patio. Lesser black-backed gull in flight very low across the garden.
January 22
Coal tit in the garden.
January 24
Flock of goldfinches (c.15) roosting in neighbour’s evergreen tree.
January 26
Pair of robins still together, although nesting is some way off yet.
January 27
Four wood pigeons in garden.
January 28
Male sparrowhawk swooped into the garden, landing in conifer by the patio.
January 29
Sparrowhawk flew across the garden, very quickly.
January 30
Two cormorants high in flight over the valley.
January 31
Lesser black-backed gull circling low over garden. Jackdaw in neighbour’s garden and on roof.