We have completed 23 years at this house in the South Western corner of Tickton.  The early years were quite exciting and the number of bird species seen in, and from the garden increased rapidly.  Highlights of those years were three seperate sightings of  Whimbrel moving North in the Spring; the annual influx of Yellow  Wagtails, feeding around the feet of cattle in the field immediately beyond our garden ( when disturbed they sometimes flew into the garden hedge); one evening when a Barn Owl hunted over the meadow from North to South, whilst a Short-eared Owl searched from East to West; nesting Lapwings only two fields away.

Thirty-four species have been recorded from the garden, eight of which were "one offs".  We have not included the Corncrake, heard by Kathleen and seen by a neighbour, or the Long-billed Dowitcher heard by us both
on the Friday prior to its appearance at Tophill Low in 1995.  The 99th bird was a Stonechat on 7th October, 2000, spending  daylight hours feeding from the hedge across the meadow.

Sixty-eight species have been recorded using the garden, of which 11 were "one offs".  The 100th bird on the list was a female Merlin which, in galeforce winds attemted to catch a Greenfinch, then flew up the garden path at a hight less than one metre and away towards Swinemoor.  The 101st bird was a Sedge Warbler seen on 14th and 30th August, 2003, catching insects on Sweet Galingale (Cyperus longus) in our pond.  Similarly the last new bird (102nd) was a Reed Warbler doing exactly the same on 1st August,  2004.

Other outstanding birds were three separate sightings of Black Redstart;  two separate Snipe (on one occassion everything was covered by snow, except for a strip of lawn, near the house.The Snipe came over the rockery, around the patio and desperately probed the lawn for food, with me looking on from the house window at a distance of 2.5 metres);  a Redshank came to my flowing "stream", when water elsewhere was frozen, and gulped down several beakfuls of water before moving on; 
one Wheatear on the garage roof;  one startled juvenile Cuckoo harassed by House Sparrows;  one Autumn Whinchat that whizzed past my head and into the hedge.  The highlight must be the Water Rail that was seen on many days between November 1995 and March 1996 at our feeding station.

With the general decline of most species recent years have been quieter.  Highlights for 2004 include the
maximum of 21 Yellowhammers and 25 Reed Buntings in February;  a ringed male Blackcap for 18 days in March and Tree Sparrows seen on 87 days, with a maximum of 14 on 15th March.

Geoff Tulloch