Most interesting garden visitor

[Rye]

Morning all, thought it would be nice to ask you all what your most interesting garden visitor is? With this it could be something strange, rare...etc

My choice would be a grey heron that was feeding in my pond around 18 months ago, I opened the blinds around 8am and there it was staring at me. I live on a housing estate on the edge of Crewe and my garden is only typical in size. I couldn't believe what I saw. So a nice tick to have no doubt.

Rye

[jamesthornton]

Mine is or was a Green Woodpecker. Haven't seen it for a year or so..

[nightshade]

Strangely we get all sorts of unusual wildlife turn up here and we are between
a Bypass and a main road the garden is not huge (about 8 panelsX 4 panels)
Over the years we have had;
Slow worms,
Grass Snake
Newts, Common and Palmated
Fox
Badger
Yellow Necked Mouse?
BeeFly
Hummingbird Hawk Moth
Elephant Hawk Moth
Dagger Hawk Moth
Privet Hawk Moth
Female Stag beetle (lesser?)
Sparrow Hawk
Green Woodpecker
Greater Spotted Woodpecker
Lesser Spotted Woodpecker
Gold Crests
BullFinches
Gold Finches
BlackCaps
Natterers Bat
Two types of Pipistrelle Bat
Brown Long Eared Bat
Serotine Bat
Noctule Bat
Weasel

This has been over 26 years which has seen our garden through several incarnations, the adjacent gardens were fairly mature (1960's) but as time has gone on they have been reduced to "low maintainence" gardens.
PS I assume the area was marshy (clay) farmland here.
Look at your garden from Google Earth and note the Jig Saw of other gardens and green corridors, it may be that a judiciously planted tree or shrub could entice more your way another useful piece in the jigsaw.

[paulinemiller10]

Living in the centre of a small town mine has to be two polecats, they came after my doves and rabbits, one managed to get in a small vent in the dovecote and took one of my doves, I caught both and relocated to my friends farm where they were later seen with a family.

I have since seen another one about a year ago on my live cam in the hog shelter, the cam is on most nights and as far as I know it has'nt been back, I would love to have them now as all my pets have passed on.

pic of one I caught. Pauline.

[thebeard]

blackcap for me

[JB9302]

Polecat was the most unusual/interesting visitor to our garden about 2 yrs ago.

Julian

[Dorts]

I'll mention just a few.
Wheatear, (once or twice a year).
Black Redstart, (occasional).
Stonechat, (quite frequent).
Dipper, (regular).
Peregrine, (two or three times a year).
Though I get great pleasure from our resident Ravens, Buzzards, Goldcrests, (missing at the moment probably due to the hard winter) and Herons, (usually two or three a day, either catching the small Trout in the river or the Frogs and Toads in the pond).

Small Pearl-bordered Fritillary , (every summer).
And best of all, Marsh Fritillary, (once!).

But I'm sure, like everyone, there is just as much pleasure from the Blackbird's song in the morning or the Robin singing in the evening. Along with the wonderful flora, I feel a very lucky and very happy man to have such wildlife all around me.
Dorts.

[~T~]

Sparrowhawk for me though my garden is pretty tiny.

[Dragonyka]

We see a sparrowhawk occasionally too. More often we see the results of the sparrowhawk, but once I was lucky enough to see a very lucky collared dove narrowly escape being caught by it.

We also see bats during the summer, but I've no idea what type of bats they are. Any pointers on how to figure it out? Would it be worth me putting up a bat box?

[shenk1]

Originally Posted by thebeard

blackcap for me

Know what you mean,we've only had em twice and both times in winter. First time for two months.