VARSAVIANA

I've said it before and I'll say it again, for the utter avian activity that comes alive in the city at this time of the year, you could dedicate a whole blog to these last two weeks in March. Just as a matter of curiosity I thought I would note down the various species of bird that have appeared in the back green (the communal back garden for over 300 human residents) over the past couple of weeks. This of course includes my 'avi-flat-mates', the sparrows under my windowsill, the jackdaws up in the eaves, and the two pigeons nesting in the now defunct chimney flue on the eastern gable of the building.

Most of the 19 bird species listed here are resident in the skwer, but there are a few who erratically pay the skwer a visit from time to time just to see what's going on. So, here they are. The order I have ascribed to them is the order in which they appear in my brain:

1. House sparrow (Passer domesticus)
2. Tree sparrow (Passer montanus)
3. Jackdaw (Corvus monedula)
4. Pigeon (Columba livia)
5. Magpie (Pica pica)
6. Great tit (Parus major)
7. Blue tit (Parus caeruleus)
8. Hooded Crow (Corvus corone cornix)
9. Collared dove (Streptopelia dectaocto)
10. Lesser-spotted woodpecker (Dendrocopos minor)
11. Treecreeper (Certhia familiaris)
12. Jay (Garrulus glandarius)
13. Black-headed gull (Larus ridibundus)
14. Starling (Sturnus vulgaris)
15. Fieldfare (Turdus pilaris)
16. Chaffinch (Fringilla coelebs)
17. Rook (Corvus frugilegus)
18. Wood pigeon (Columba palumbus)
19. Greenfinch (Carduelis chloris)

The last 8 birds listed muscle into the skwer at irregular intervals, with some becoming more residential depending on the time of year. It has to be remembered that this skwer represents but a fraction of Warsaw's aviana as a whole, (as does the particular time of year) but what better time and place to start than spring at your front door?