My garden bird list is not exactly big, but relative to the location and surrounding habitat it's about what you may expect. It could/would be bigger if I spent hours gazing upwards in case something flew over, or if I listened out more at night and actually tried to work out what I'm hearing.
I added a new species to the list back in October, one that you may think would be an obvious omission, but trust me hearing a calling female Tawny Owl was unexpected. In 25 odd years of living around here I've seen and heard far more Barn and Little owls than Tawnies - in fact I can only remember seeing one Tawny perched up on a low branch as I drove down the lane years ago. This one was also immediately recogniseable and in perfect context.
Last night, as I opened the front door to get into the car and pick up the youngest from work, I heard a flyover that sounded familiar but not quite right, and I've been mulling it for a bit. Tonight I've realised what it was, and why it didn't seem right. It was a flyover Coot. Not exactly what you'd expect in suburbia some way from any likely water bodies. There a few examples of nocturnal flight calls on Xeno-Canto. Either way, there are no previous Coots on the garden list.
No such excitement tonight, except that despite the frost I have two Early Moths sitting on the living room window. Not a sniff of a moth recently when it was mild, blustery and wet, but they must be bloody hardy to start flitting about in these temps.
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