This is a list of the species seen in, and flying over, a small garden on Woodside Road, Banchory, Kincardineshire, Scotland (map). Banchory has about 5000 inhabitants and is situated in the Dee valley, about 20 miles from the coast. The garden is located not far from the edge of the town, about half a mile from surrounding conifer plantations and open countryside.
The percentage of weeks that the regular visitors were recorded during 1985-1987 is included in brackets following the species name as an indicative measure of each species abundance; species which were only seen overhead are marked with an asterisk *.
- Grey Heron (Ardea cinerea) (6%) * - occasionally seen passing overhead, mainly in summer
- Pinkfoot (Anser brachyrhynchus) (5%) * - occasionally seen passing overhead on passage and rarely in winter
- Greylag Goose (Anser anser) (7%) * - occasionally seen passing overhead on passage and rarely in winter
- Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos) (3%) * - occasionally seen passing overhead
- Goosander (Mergus merganser) * - single record of a pair over in September 1988
- Common Buzzard (Buteo buteo) * - occasionally seen passing overhead - numbers vary markedly from year to year
- Sparrowhawk (Accipiter nisus) (11%) * - occasional spring/summer visitor
- Kestrel (Falco tinnunculus) * - very scarce visitor
- Pheasant (Phasianus colchicus) - single record of a female walking down road behind house, some distance from open country, in March 1986
- Oystercatcher (Haematopus ostralegus) (48%) * - observed (and heard) overhead daily throughout spring/summer (Feb-Aug)
- Golden Plover (Pluvialis apricaria) * - once heard passing overhead at night
- Lapwing (Vanellus vanellus) * - observed passing overhead rarely
- Curlew (Numenius arquata) (2%) * - observed passing south overhead in post-breeding disperal
- Black-headed Gull (Larus ridibundus) (63%) - common spring/summer visitor rarely seen in autumn/winter
- Common Gull (Larus canus) (45%) - regular winter visitor, not seen in spring and early summer
- Lesser Blackback (Larus fuscus) - very rare summer visitor
- Herring Gull (Larus argentatus) (93%) - present throughout the year with hundreds or thousands passing overhead every day of the year to and from feeding grounds at local rubbish dump and roost lochs or the coast (18 miles E)
- Great Blackback (Larus marinus) (7%) - very small numbers regularly seen overhead with Herring Gulls which it accompanies to same feeding and roosting areas, mainly in winter
- Feral Pigeon (Columba livia) (81%) - common local resident
- Wood Pigeon (Columba palumbus) (33%) - irregular visitor throughout the year
- Collared Dove (Streptopelia decaocto) (38%) - irregular visitor throughout the year
- Cuckoo (Cuculus canorus) - seen once in late June 1986
- Tawny Owl (Strix aluco) - heard at night very rarely
- Common Swift (Apus apus) (29%) - common summer visitor (May to August)
- Swallow (Hirundo rustica) (30%) - common summer visitor (mid-April to mid-October)
- House Martin (Delichon urbica) (25%) - common summer visitor (May to mid-October)
- Meadow Pipit (Anthus pratensis) - regular overhead passage migrant in autumn
- Pied Wagtail (Motacilla alba yarrelli) (38%) - irregular visitor throughout the year, less common in mid-winter
- Waxwing (Bombycilla garrulus) (5%) - regular winter visitor, observed in small numbers nearly annually
- Wren (Troglodytes troglodytes) (25%) - irregular visitor throughout the year, less common in summer
- Dunnock (Prunella modularis) (92%) - common resident, present in small numbers throughout the year
- Robin (Erithacus rubecula) (72%) - common resident, absent between early May and early August
- Blackbird (Turdus merula) (99%) - common resident present daily with numbers sometimes swelling to several dozen at end of breeding season
- Fieldfare (Turdus pilaris) (10%) - uncommon winter visitor; observed coming to bread in hard weather
- Song Thrush (Turdus philomelos) (45%) - regular visitor, but rarely observed in autumn and mid-winter numbers tend to be lower
- Redwing (Turdus iliacus) (1%) - uncommon winter visitor, normally only present during very hard weather, when has been seen coming to bread at bird table
- Mistle Thrush (Turdus viscivorus) (35%) - irregular visitor throughout the year, sometimes breeding
- Common Whitethroat (Sylvia communis) (3%) - scarce post-breeding migrant
- Blackcap (Sylvia atricapilla) (3%) - scarce winter visitor
- Willow Warbler (Phylloscopus trochilus) (19%) - uncommon summer visitor
- Goldcrest (Regulus regulus) (12%) - variable numbers occur from year to year, with breeding in 1987
- Spotted Flycatcher (Muscicapa striata) - very scarce migrant during autumn passage (e.g. September 1990)
- Long-tailed Tit (Aegithalos caudatus) (3%) - uncommon visitor during very hard weather
- Coal Tit (Parus ater) (72%) - regular visitor throughout the year, but lower numbers in some years
- Blue Tit (Parus caeruleus) (94%) - common visitor in small numbers throughout the year
- Great Tit (Parus major) (88%) - common visitor in small numbers throughout the year though does not always breed locally
- Treecreeper (Certhia familiaris) (8%) - irregular winter visitor
- Magpie (Pica pica) - formerly very rare visitor only observed in mid-winter, but now increasingly frequent in winter
- Jackdaw (Corvus monedula) (89%) - regularly observed, often passing overhead with Rooks, throughout the year
- Rook (Corvus frugilegus) (95%) - regular visitor throughout the year, also often observed passing overhead, sometimes in huge numbers (thousands) between feeding grounds and local roost sites
- Carrion Crow (Corvus corone) (29%) - uncommon visitor throughout the year, though somewhat irregular in winter
- Hooded Crow (Corvus corvix) - very rare mid-winter visitor, perhaps from nearby Crow's Nest amenity site; hybrid not excluded
- Starling (Sturnus vulgaris) (88%) - common visitor throughout the year though normally absent in mid-summer
- House Sparrow (Passer domesticus) (100%) - common resident and local breeder observed daily in numbers of up to 20 by the end of the breeding season
- Chaffinch (Fringilla coelebs) (98%) - common resident observed throughout the year and breeding locally
- Brambling (Fringilla montifringilla) - observed once in spring (March 1988)
- Greenfinch (Carduelis chloris) (85%) - regular visitor throughout the year though rather scarce in autumn; breeds locally
- Goldfinch (Carduelis carduelis) (9%) - uncommon breeding season visitor
- Siskin (Carduelis spinus) (85%) - common resident throughout the year, breeding locally
- Redpoll (Carduelis flammea) - uncommon visitor spring to autumn
- Bullfinch (Pyrrhula pyrrhula) (11%) - uncommon visitor mainly in spring and mid-winter
- Yellowhammer (Emberiza citrinella) - observed once in spring (May 1987)
- Reed Bunting (Emberiza schoeniclus) - 3 birds present for a few days in March-April 1989
