This weekend was Natagora’s “big garden bird census”, so I did what any sane urbanite with no garden would do: I commandeered a friend’s garden. I packed my 150-600mm lens (that I never use on account of it weighting 2kg), dusted the spider webs off my tripod, and went to sit outside in the cold, just to count birds.

Now, my most common experience with actually hauling the telephoto lens outside is: no birds. Zero. Extinct. Even pigeons vanish. Not this weekend, though! I was blessed.

Genuine photograph of an actual angel

Kestrel

I saw not just one, but two kestrels this weekend. On two separate days and in different locations. Absolute miracle, because I only ever see raptors on the side of highways while driving. But those were semi-urban.

The one on the picture seems to have settled on the roof of an events building in my city, so that kestrel has dominion over two parking lots, while also being right next a woody area and, a short flight away, pastures. Food is easily available in the form of city rats raiding the nearby trash cans, he only has to swoop down. The bird’s living conditions are better than mine.

Kestrel on roof

Just look at this smug fluffball. He doesn’t even pay rent.

The counting

The kestrel thing was entirely separate from the whole “sitting in a stolen garden to watch birds for a census” thing. At the bird feeder, the visitors were a little more commonplace: tits. So many tits.

Blue tit

The blue tits showed up in force. They are a gregarious and adventurous species, so of course whole groups dropped by and shouted their little heads off to alert everyone a human was there. They still went for the food. I love them.

Blue tit

Great tits came in lesser numbers, feet first, to shove the blue tits off the feeder. They are bullies and my least favorite of the Paridae.

Robin in the bushes

One robin showed up - they’re solitary and territorial - very cautious, very annoyed I was there. It didn’t stick around (there was more bird food on a side of the house where I was not).

And then there was the Surprise-For-Everyone-Involved. I was minding my own business, stalking birds and spooking my best friend’s neighbours by pointing a telephoto lens at their houses, when a huge bird landed in the branches behind the bird feeder. And, before my inner catalogue of the local bird species could even boot (“That’s too big to be a tit…”), it saw me and bolted in the opposite direction (“…but it’s not black so it’s not a jackdaw…”), then landed on a tree on the other side of the garden to give me the stink eye (“…and it’s sure not a pigeon. Jay?”).

Probably thought I couldn’t see it anymore, but joke’s on it, I spend ungodly amounts of money on entirely overkill photography equipment.

Behold the power of zoom lenses

It was a great spotted woodpecker.

Robin in the bushes

I can’t tell if it was male or female (you need to check for a red spot on the back of the head, which only the males have, and I did not get a single shot showing it).

I’m going to have to steal my friend’s garden again to find out.

A cool app

If you want a really amazing tool to help counting birds: Merlin Bird ID

It’s incredibly good at identifying birds by sound. Highly recommended.