Room with a View

It is still cold outside and I really don't feel like leaving the apartment to go birding. I might change my mind later today, but that would have to be a sooner later rather than a later later as it is already quite late in the afternoon.
Anyway, just for something meaningless to do and post on the blog today, I thought I'd present my flat-list to the public.

Flat-list?

Yes, that's a special birder expression with two different meanings:

a) List of birds seen from your flat

b) not very exciting list of birds seen


My list has the advantage of combining both meanings, so you can take your pick and especially reconsider the idea you just had about reading this post until its end.

A flat-list is the equivalent to a garden list when you live here ...


... and the view from your best window is this:



I only got here in late October 2006, so this list isn't very exhaustive yet and should grow in spring with the arrival of a few more migrants. If this year we will experience an arrival of spring in the first place.
Most of the species seen are of course fly-overs, which explains the dominance of the non-passeriformes and at 27 species, there's still plenty of room for a severe increase, preferably by a flock of Snow Geese or an Ivory Gull.

Anyway, here is the list for those interested:

Great Blue Heron
Tundra Swan
Canada Goose
Mallard
Common Merganser
Turkey Vulture
Sharp-shinned Hawk
Cooper's Hawk
Red-shouldered Hawk
Red-tailed Hawk
Bald Eagle
American Kestrel
Peregrine Falcon
Sandhill Crane
Killdeer
Ring-billed Gull
American Herring Gull
Rock Dove
American Crow
American Robin
European Starling
Northern Cardinal
Common Grackle
Red-winged Blackbird
House Sparrow
American Goldfinch
House Finch

Man, where's spring? I need to get out of the apartment more!