🐦⬛ Garden nature diary: The natural world on my doorstep
January 1: A couple of hours birding from the upper back room at home to get the year underway. Nineteen species to start 2026, as follows: Magpie. Blackbird (m). Wood pigeon. Redwing (c.10, c.10, c.20, c.10, 3, 3, 6, 7, 2). Carrion crow. Robin (Two together in the garden and not squabbling). Chaffinch (m,f, at least seven. Blue tit. Dunnock. Lesser black-backed gull. Great tit (m,f). Black-headed gull. Coal tit. Herring gull. Common buzzard (Two soaring over eastern slope). Sparrowhawk (Male, in flight along the eastern ridge. Probably the same bird but one being mobbed by four Magpie later in flight. Male and female showing at same time). Jackdaw (Four in eastern slope woodland). Feral pigeon (c.8 passing through in flight). Raven (A pair of birds in flight over the eastern slope).
After I did my ‘stint’ watching the garden – and beyond – I saw Goldfinch (Single bird) and Long-tailed-tit (c.8 on the feeding station), which took me to 21 for the year. Not a bad start to 2026.
January 2: Blackbird (Male in the garden). Chaffinch (Numerous birds on the feeding station and in the wider area). Robin (Pair of birds still together in the garden). Redwing (Seven birds in dusk flight).
January 3: Blackbird (In the garden and, assuming it’s the same bird, it has been a regular this year so far). Common buzzard (A pair in soaring flight, quite low and passing over our home, heading for the woodland beyond the lane). Long-tailed tit (Flock c.8 arrived at dusk, flitting to and from the feeding station).
January 4: Blackbird (Male in the garden). Coal tit (Visiting the feeding station). Robin (Pair together on the sunflower hearts feeder). Chaffinch (The influx of birds continues and they are in the garden constantly, when some leave others replace them).
January 5: Coal tit (A sighting every day of the year so far). Blackbird (Male in the garden, feeding beneath the station). Robin (Pair of birds still together in the garden). Wood pigeon (Bird gathering materials for nest building in the garden, then flying beyond the lane).
January 6: Coal tit (Not seen more than one bird at the same time but the regular visits continue). Blackbird (The male continues to visit the garden, feeding beneath the station). Wood pigeon (As well as birds in our garden, eight perched in a neighbouring tree). Long-tailed tit (At least five birds visiting the feeding station in the evening).
January 7: Coal tit (Regular visits to the feeding station throughout the day). Robin (The pair of birds are still an item). Blackbird (After numerous male sightings, a female in the garden).
January 8: Greenfinch (We had them on a regular basis last year, one of the birds that you knew would be visiting the feeding station every day. However, it’s the first of the year today, a single bird on the sunflower hearts feeder. That’s 22 for 2026). Stock Dove (In the garden and, like the greenfinch, a constant previous visitor but the first of the year. Up to 23 species). Blackbird (Both male and female birds in the garden). Coal tit (The daily visit of a bird this year continues).
January 9: Heavy overnight snow. Blackbird (Male in the garden). Raven (From the drive, heard it calling at first and then it flew across our neighbour’s bungalow, very low). Robin (Pair of birds still together in the garden). Coal tit (Seen every day of the year). Long-tailed tit (Approximately six birds briefly in the garden).
January 10: Coal tit (Again, a regular visitor. I haven’t seen more than one bird at a time yet but if there were two, I wouldn’t be surprised). Blackbird (Male in the garden). House sparrow (I thought I saw a female the other day but couldn’t confirm. This time though, clear views of a male in the garden. A new species for the year, up to 24).
January 11: Little egret (Seen initially from the kitchen window, as it made its way up the valley. When I moved to the living room, it dropped on fields the other side of the road. The first of 2026, taking me to 25). Blackbird (Male in the garden). Wood pigeon (Four feeding beneath the station). Coal tit (The run of a daily appearance continues, with a bird visiting the feeding station). Sparrowhawk (Bird flashed through the garden in hunting mode).
January 12: Coal tit (Visiting the feeding station, as the daily appearances continue).
January 13: Coal tit (The daily visit continues). Robin (The pair of birds are still in the garden). Blackbird (Male in and around the garden). Goldfinch (We had a pair regularly on the feeding station but since the sparrowhawk took one, the remaining bird continues to visit alone).
January 14: Coal tit (Seen again in the garden, ever-present in 2026)
January 15: Coal tit (Still an ever-present this year). Blackbird (Male and female birds in the garden, separately). Little egret (Seen in flight from the kitchen, heading south over the lane). Nuthatch (Numerous visits on the sunflower hearts feeder. The first of the year, up to 26).
January 16: Coal tit (Still visiting the garden). Sparrowhawk (Male flashed through the garden, chasing a bird into the palm tree. The former escaped though. The next one didn’t, however, and the predator sat on the fence eating a blue tit. There’s footage in the video (short) below, with other shots and video clips captured which will form part of a longer film.
January 17: Blackbird (Male in the garden).
January 18: Wren (Up to 27 species for the year, with a bird on the patio).
January 20: House sparrow (2 males, 1 female on the seed feeder).
January 21: Wood pigeon (9 birds in and around the garden, including a bird displaying to another on the fence). House sparrow (c.10 on and around the seed feeder). Robin (Pair of birds still together in the garden). Coal tit (Visiting the sunflower hearts feeder). Sparrowhawk (Male bird flashed twice through the garden).
January 22: Coal tit (Visiting the feeding station). Stock dove (Bird feeding on the lawn. Haven’t had too many so far this year). Nuthatch (Feeding on the sunflower hearts feeder). Blackbird (Female in neighbour’s garden). Dunnock (Last species in the garden, late dusk. A pair beneath the feeding station).
January 23: Raven (A pair in low flight, followed by two sightings of a single bird later, seen from the kitchen). Coal tit (Visiting the feeding station). Sparrowhawk (Bird flashed through the garden on two separate occasions).
January 24: Raven (On the drive and heard them first. Two calling birds heading towards the central woodland, low in flight).
January 25: Nuthatch (Several visits during the day on the feeding station). Sparrowhawk (Bird flashed through the garden).
January 26: Blackbird (Male and female in the garden, both at the same time on one occasion). Sparrowhawk (Male perched on the fence). Little egret (In flight south to north, low over the central valley).
January 27: Coal tit (Visiting the sunflower hearts feeder). Tawny owl (Just before midnight, I could hear owls calling outside. I went to the back room and spotted one, in flight along Wordsworth. Up to 28 for the year).
January 28: Coal tit (Bird visiting the sunflower hearts feeder.) Long-tailed tit (Single bird, late dusk, on the feeding station.)
January 30: Raven (In flight, heading towards the central valley. Seen from the kitchen window.) Blackbird (Male in the garden.) Herring gull (Two circling quite low over the immediately area. Seen from the living room.)
January 31: Common buzzard (A pair of birds in low flight, seen from the kitchen as they passed over our home heading towards the lane.) Coal tit (Bird visiting the feeding station.) Nuthatch (Bird on the sunflower hearts feeder.)
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