The Birds of 2024 - May

 

We're in the 4th year of sharing my birdy photos, though technically 2024's images are year 5, as usually I post the previous year's photos each quarter however this year I am posting each month in the following month!

I can't believe it's been 5 years of taking notice of my species' photographed! I don't know who, if anyone, cares about these types of posts and I understand that birding, on the whole, is vastly dominated by middle to older-aged males who probably aren't reading a 30-something female's blog! However, as with everything, I love to have this all here to look back on myself. 

That being said, here are May 2024's bird photos!

Taken at home - 2nd May
Rock Dove

Taken at home - 4th May
House Sparrow
Rock Dove

Taken at home - 5th May
Rock Dove
Ring Necked Parakeet
Starling
Carrion Crow
Dunnock
Herring Gull
Blue Tit

Taken at Whitburn Point - 6th May
Blackbird
Oystercatcher
Herring Gull
Carrion Crow
Cormorant
Linnet
Wheatear
Shelduck
Skylark
Pheasant
Meadow Pipit
Goldfinch
Reed Bunting

Taken at home - 7th May
Coal Tit
House Sparrow

Taken at home - 19th May
Rock Dove
Magpie

Taken at Washington Wetlands - 20th May
Greylag Goose
Gadwall
Shelduck
Black Headed Gull
Lapwing
Avocet
Common Tern
Sand Martin
Robin
Blackbird

Taken near Jarrow and at home - 21st May
Ring Necked Parakeet
Robin

Taken at Washington Wetlands - 28th May
Gadwall
Spoonbill
Mallard
Great Tit
Greenfinch
Nuthatch
Robin
Stock Dove
Canada Goose
Greylag Goose
Swallow

Taken at home - 29th May
Rock Dove

Taken at home - 30th May
House Sparrow

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6 new species!! Yay! I didn't know how likely it would be for me to add any new birds to the list this month but they essentially came to me haha. I was sure I'd seen two Ring Necked Parakeets fly over one morning a few weeks ago while I was out topping up feeders in our front garden. Although common in the South of England, I'd never heard of any straying this far North so I didn't get too excited. However, on Dawn Chorus Day, while sitting in the back garden they flew over again and I caught a very sketchy photo of the second bird...then again while on a walk with Baker in his buggy I heard them! I didn't have time to sort settings but pointed my camera to the sky and caught a few fleeting shots of one again. Fingers crossed I get to see them a little closer at some point, and I'd love to catch the pair in one photo as well. 
Another super exciting addition is the Spoonbill! One afternoon I got a notification on my WWT app that there was a Spoonbill on Wader Lake. My autism doesn't usually allow for spontaneity but of course, my special interest overruled that and we hopped in the car and headed over. I can't believe how lucky we got and yes, I did cry. Again, the Spoonbill may be a little more common down South, but not so much here. I do wish I could get a longer lens, but £3,000 is a lot of money and any extra money we do have is currently spoken for. One day!

Anyway, I feel very privileged to have gotten the chance to see, photograph and spend time with all of the birds I have so far this year. They all bring me so much joy. 



Check out previous year's 'The Birds of...' posts below
The Birds of 2024 // January
The Birds of 2024 // February
The Birds of 2024 // March
The Birds of 2023! // January - March
The Birds of 2023! // April - June
The Birds of 2022!
The Birds of 2021!
The Birds of 2020!

The current species list for 2024, in alphabetical order, is:

Avocet
Barn Owl

Blackbird 
Blackcap

Black-headed Gull

Bluetit 

Bullfinch
Buzzard

Canada Goose

Carrion Crow

Chaffinch

Chiffchaff

Coal Tit

Collared Dove 

Common Tern

Coot

Cormorant

Curlew

Dunnock 

Eider Duck

Fulmar

Gadwall
Gannet

Goldeneye

Goldfinch

Grey Heron

Grey Wagtail

Greylag Goose

Great Black Backed Gull

Great Tit

Greenfinch
Guillemot

Herring Gull 

House Sparrow 

Jay

Kestrel

Kingfisher
Kittiwake

Lapwing

Lesser Black-Backed Gull
Linnet
Little Egret

Long-tailed Tit

Magpie 

Mallard
Meadow Pipit

Moor Hen

Mute Swan

Nuthatch

Oystercatcher 

Pheasant

Pink-footed Goose
Pochard
Razorbill

Red Shank

Reed Bunting

Ring Necked Parakeet

Robin 

Rock Dove 

Rock Pipit

Rook
Sand Martin

Shag

Shelduck

Shoveler

Siskin
Skylark

Spoonbill

Starling 

Stock Dove
Swallow

Teal

Tree Creeper
Tree Sparrow

Tufted Duck
Turnstone

Velvet Scoter

Water Rail
Waxwing

Wheatear

Wood Pigeon 

Annual total - 81