More flyovers - Great Spotted Woodpecker, Swift and Oystercatcher - take the list to 31

Linnet and Greylag Goose - 28

Collared Dove and Chiffchaff take the number to 26

Got up at around midnight to see what was howling in the garden (turned out it was a cat), to hear a Tawny Owl calling from the strip of woodland, one hundred metres south of us - 24.

Canada Goose, House Sparrow and Great Tit take the list to 23. Whats more, the Great Tit actually set foot in the garden, coming down to have a drink in the water feature!

Blackcap and Jackdaw, heard nearby and fly over take the list to twenty. More Goldfinch, Pied Wagtail and House Martin as usual plus fly over Raven and Common Buzzard.

Mallard, Starling, Lesser Black-backed Gull, Common Buzzard and Willow Warbler since my last post push the list up to eighteen. Of the regular fly overs, Goldfinch are clearly the most numerous, followed by Pied Wagtail and House Martin.

Been sat in the garden this afternoon after my walk at Neumanns Flash this morning. Black-headed Gull, Robin, Song Thrush, Dunnock, Magpie, Wood Pigeon and Crow have shot my list up to a staggering 13. Im feeling faint and am going to have a lie down.

The only bird to actually land in the garden, to date, has been a Blackbird. All the rest are fly overs or heard and seen nearby. Green-veined White and Small Tortoiseshell butterflies also.

Had an hour in the garden, early afternoon to get the list up and running. As expected, all over :

House Martin, Swallow, Pied Wagtail, Goldfinch, Blackbird and Raven. Its a start lol.

We are on a five year old Barratt development on the northern side of Northwich with similar developments both alongside and across the road. The River Weaver is three quarters of a mile to the north and Northwich Woodlands, incorporating Neumanns & Ashtons Flashes is a similar distance to the south east. Slightly further away are Anderton Nature Park and Marbury Country Park.

Most of the gardens on the development are typically 12 x 12 yds squares given over to lawn and fenced. Very few are nature friendly and consequently there arent too many bird sightings. Our own garden is more set up for butterflies and around ten of the more common species have been seen. I put bird feeders up the Winter before last but didnt get a single visit!

We have had a few bird species actually in the garden including Blackbird, Robin, Pied Wagtail and Wood Pigeon but the best bet at the moment is to look out for fly overs. These have included Peregrine, Buzzard, Raven, House Martin, Canada Goose, Greylag Goose and a few others. We have an open aspect to the front with football pitches backed by a strip of woodland. I have heard Great Spotted Woodpecker and Tawny Owl from the house, so there is some potential!

I dont expect to be posting on here too often but heres hoping that will change.