If you are not a keen birder this will perhaps not be of great interest – unless you have decided to really take up birding with the start of a new year and wan a target to aim for. Anyway, assuming you plan to read on … here is what we saw in the garden during 2020.

For those who don’t know the garden it is an area of 15,000 sq.ft (100 ft x 150 ft) including the house. It is well supplied with mature trees, mostly around the periphery as well as bushes and shrubs and the lawn is being converted (it will take years) to a native plant meadow habitat. There is a slo a small pool with a waterfall which is a major reason for the variety of species we record here – especially warblers in spring migration. The area can be described as well-treed suburbia near a major river/lake.

So: Life time total since 1998 = 119 species / 2020 species list = 80

Now some details. There follows a list of the species seen last year in taxonomic sequence and with the date they were first seen in the garden. A few photographs taken during the year are added for interest – if you click on any of the thumbnails you will be able to see the pictures at full size.

Species seen during 2020

1 Canada Goose – Branta canadensis 06 May 2020
2 Mallard – Anas platyrhynchos 11 Apr 2020
3 Wild Turkey – Meleagris gallopavo 07 May 2020
4 Rock Pigeon – Columba livia 12 May 2020
5 Mourning Dove – Zenaida macroura 01 Jan 2020
6 Ruby-throated Hummingbird – Archilochus colubris 18 May 2020
7 Ring-billed Gull – Larus delawarensis 11 Apr 2020
8 Great Blue Heron – Ardea herodias 21 Mar 2020
9 Turkey Vulture – Cathartes aura 28 Mar 2020
10 Sharp-shinned Hawk – Accipiter striatus 11 Jan 2020
11 Broad-winged Hawk – Buteo platypterus 08 Oct 2020
12 Eastern Screech-Owl – Megascops asio 13 May 2020
13 Great Horned Owl – Bubo virginianus 02 Jan 2020
14 Barred Owl – Strix varia 01 May 2020
15 Yellow-bellied Sapsucker – Sphyrapicus varius 12 Apr 2020
16 Red-bellied Woodpecker – Melanerpes carolinus 12 Nov 2020
17 Downy Woodpecker – Dryobates pubescens 01 Jan 2020
18 Hairy Woodpecker – Dryobates villosus 05 Jan 2020
19 Pileated Woodpecker – Dryocopus pileatus 10 Jan 2020
20 Northern Flicker – Colaptes auratus 30 Apr 2020
21 Least Flycatcher – Empidonax minimus 29 Jul 2020
22 Eastern Phoebe – Sayornis phoebe 26 Apr 2020
23 Great Crested Flycatcher – Myiarchus crinitus 27 May 2020
24 Blue-headed Vireo – Vireo solitarius 03 May 2020
25 Warbling Vireo – Vireo gilvus 15 May 2020
26 Red-eyed Vireo – Vireo olivaceus 28 May 2020
27 Blue Jay – Cyanocitta cristata 01 Jan 2020
28 American Crow – Corvus brachyrhynchos 02 Jan 2020
29 Common Raven – Corvus corax 18 Oct 2020
30 Black-capped Chickadee – Poecile atricapillus 01 Jan 2020
31 Golden-crowned Kinglet – Regulus satrapa 11 Apr 2020
32 Ruby-crowned Kinglet – Regulus calendula 26 Apr 2020
33 Red-breasted Nuthatch – Sitta canadensis 25 Jul 2020
34 White-breasted Nuthatch – Sitta carolinensis 01 Jan 2020
35 Brown Creeper – Certhia americana 16 Apr 2020
36 House Wren – Troglodytes aedon 25 May 2020
37 Winter Wren – Troglodytes hiemalis 25 Apr 2020
38 Carolina Wren – Thryothorus ludovicianus 19 Apr 2020
39 European Starling – Sturnus vulgaris 06 Mar 2020
40 Gray Catbird – Dumetella carolinensis 15 May 2020
41 Eastern Bluebird – Sialia sialis 17 Jan 2020
42 Swainson’s Thrush – Catharus ustulatus 25 Sep 2020
43 Hermit Thrush – Catharus guttatus 09 Apr 2020
44 American Robin – Turdus migratorius 08 Mar 2020
45 Cedar Waxwing – Bombycilla cedrorum 15 Apr 2020
46 Evening Grosbeak – Coccothraustes vespertinus 04 Nov 2020
47 House Finch – Haemorhous mexicanus 11 Jan 2020
48 Purple Finch – Haemorhous purpureus 06 Mar 2020
49 Common Redpoll – Acanthis flammea 11 Nov 2020
50 Pine Siskin – Spinus pinus 12 Nov 2020
51 American Goldfinch – Spinus tristis 01 Jan 2020
52 Chipping Sparrow – Spizella passerina 16 Apr 2020
53 American Tree Sparrow – Spizelloides arborea 21 Nov 2020
54 Fox Sparrow – Passerella iliaca 15 Apr 2020
55 Dark-eyed Junco – Junco hyemalis 01 Jan 2020
56 White-crowned Sparrow – Zonotrichia leucophrys 15 May 2020
57 White-throated Sparrow – Zonotrichia albicollis 15 Apr 2020
58 Song Sparrow – Melospiza melodia 21 Mar 2020
59 Baltimore Oriole – Icterus galbula 18 May 2020
60 Red-winged Blackbird – Agelaius phoeniceus 16 Mar 2020
61 Brown-headed Cowbird – Molothrus ater 02 Apr 2020
62 Common Grackle – Quiscalus quiscula 19 Apr 2020
63 Ovenbird – Seiurus aurocapilla 16 May 2020
64 Black-and-white Warbler – Mniotilta varia 15 May 2020
65 Tennessee Warbler – Leiothlypis peregrina 15 May 2020
66 Nashville Warbler – Leiothlypis ruficapilla 21 May 2020
67 Common Yellowthroat – Geothlypis trichas 22 Jul 2020
68 American Redstart – Setophaga ruticilla 17 May 2020
69 Cape May Warbler – Setophaga tigrina 15 May 2020
70 Northern Parula – Setophaga americana 15 May 2020
71 Blackpoll Warbler – Setophaga striata 27 Sep 2020
72 Black-throated Blue Warbler – Setophaga caerulescens 17 May 2020
73 Pine Warbler – Setophaga pinus 27 Sep 2020
74 Yellow-rumped Warbler – Setophaga coronata 25 Apr 2020
75 Black-throated Green Warbler – Setophaga virens 17 May 2020
76 Canada Warbler – Cardellina canadensis 25 Jul 2020
77 Wilson’s Warbler – Cardellina pusilla 17 May 2020
78 Scarlet Tanager – Piranga olivacea 20 May 2020
79 Northern Cardinal – Cardinalis cardinalis 01 Jan 2020
80 Rose-breasted Grosbeak – Pheucticus ludovicianus 15 May 2020

Fox Sparrow

Evening Grosbeak

Carolina Wren

Female Purple Finch

Female Rose-breasted Grosbeak

White-crowned Sparrow

Eastern Screech Owl

Cape May Warbler

Black and white Warbler

White-throated Sparrow

Northern Flicker

Common Grackle

American Robin

White-throated Sparrow

Male House Finch

Family of House Finches

Dark-eyed Junco

Red-bellied Woodpecker

Red-bellied Woodpecker

Great-crested Flycatcher

Northern Parula

Cape May Warbler

Wild Turkey

Rose-breasted Grosbeak

Cedar Waxwing

Hermit Thrush

White-breasted Nuthatch

Mourning Dove

Eastern Bluebird

Yellow Warbler

Juvenile American Robin

Winter Wren