Your favourite breeds of bird...

[WildRosie]

I've tried to categorise mine:

Regular garden birds - collared dove, very delicate and gentle birds;
- bullfinch, the male (sorry, not fair) is a great colour!

Birds of prey - barn owl, elegant and attractive;
- sparrowhawk, swift and purposeful.

Wildfowl - mute swan, clean and graceful;
- teal, brilliant colours.

Exotica - peacocks, unashamedly gaudy;
- hyacinth macaw, like all parrots, fabulous colours.

I could count the ring-necked parakeets as both garden and exotica, given the big populations in the UK. But I won't do that until I actually see one!

I should give the robin an honourable mention. I don't often see them at home but we have at least one (most likely a pair) at work. Becoming tamer and bolder every day!

Herring Gulls
All Corvids - can't choose!
Mallards

Mandarin duck!

I like jackdaws, we get them in our garden and they seem to be very gentle birds, very patiently queuing for the bird table! They also have the most beautiful blue eyes.
Blackbirds have a lovely song.. very peaceful to listen to.

I've only ever seen puffins on the telly, but think they are incredibly beautiful looking birds. I didn't realise we have them in the UK until I saw Wild Isles on the BBC recently.

Robins.
Blue tits- very pleased to have seen lots around recently, including some very dinky little baby ones!
Ducks

Sadly not a fan of corvids after jackdaws nested in my attic.

Goldfinches
Wrens
Kestrels
Red Kites
Rooks and Crows
Jays
Kingfishers

This is hard but if I had to narrow it down...

At home...

Starlings - so glittery and make a magical sound, and the winter murmurations are incredible.
Swift - the sound of summer, and such incredible life cycles.
Wren - so tiny yet so loud!
Widgeon - I'm not a big duck fan but they make such an adorable noise.
Hobby - amazing little sky acrobats, incredible to watch them hunt dragonflies. And very summery.

Abroad...
Torent ducks - these ducks are actually great because they're so badass.
Burrowing owl - because they are hilarious. See also Owlets.
Crowned pigeon - the most glamorous, God of pigeons.

Parrots and robins.

Pied wagtail
Blue tit
Mallard

Forgot long-tailed tits! Definitely most adorable garden visitor.

Shoebill stork

Always had a soft spot for the humble sparrow.
Kingfishers are magnificent.

Gannets.

I love birds. All of them. We get loads in our garden as we’ve moved right next to wood. We’re not in the countryside, just a surburban area.
My favourites on our bird feeder are the nuthatches. I love how they feed upside down and then stick their heads up at a right angle before flying off. I also love our great-spotted woodpecker that eats all our fatballs.
My eldest DS, 12, is a keen naturalist so we go to nature reserves to see birds. It’s brought so much joy to my life.
I love owls. Barn owls are stunning. Little owls are lovely birds. We have tawny owls hooting in the woods - love it.
I’m particularly fond of wading birds like godwits, snipe, curlews etc.
I recently saw a hen harrier, a male which was a real treat! You can’t beat birds of prey I reckon. We saw a golden eagle in the Cairngorms.

Swifts. thrilled by their screaming & everywhere at onceness.

Parrots : pretty much all but esp... Cockatoos, esp. Salmon-crested; Kites, skylarks, long-tailed tits, pelicans, all types of hummers.

My favourites are
turnstone
oystercatcher
Curlew
Lapwing

Garden: wren
Goldfinch

Ducks
Mandarin

Summer visitors
Swifts
Tern

Love my little wren bobbing in between the plant pots, and the owls calling at night, but my heart always lifts when the woodpeckers (green and greater spotted) visit.

@TheSweetestHalleluja
If you go on a break to Northumberland in May you can go on a boat trip to The Farne Islands and you’re guaranteed to see thousands of puffins. It’s an incredible experience.

That sounds amazing @Nuffaluff definitely one for the bucket list!

For some reason, I really like Nuthatches. So pretty!

My DD's main hobby for many years was bird photography so we travelled the UK to see interesting species (lots of puffins near us!) and I picked up the bird-watching habit from her.

She's now at art school and one assignment was to draw a possible mural for a favourite place. She chose her favourite RSPB reserve! You might appreciate this...

Chickens. So delicious.

Swifts, shallows, house martins. I used to live on a hill and could watch the swifts flying in huge circles, one of the best feelings.

Also sanderlings - so cute!

Also sparrows! The sound makes me feel like I'm on holiday!

If I could choose only one, I’d go for ravens. Their aerial acrobatics are simply mesmerising.

But as you’re allowing more than one, I’d also like to add-

Marsh harrier - I don’t really get birds of prey, but marsh harriers are an exception. They’re so elegant!
Puffins - @TheSweetestHalleluja I second the suggestion of the Farne Isles. Alternatively you can see them off the Yorkshire coast (Flamborough Head) along with another favourite of mine: Gannets 🥰
Wheatears - absolute bird perfection to my eyes

I also really love long tailed tits (adorable), goldcrests (adorable again!) and kingfishers 🤩

Owls.. I love seeing barn owls swooping down to snatch some poor unfortunate mouse.. they are so skilled!

Where I live there are SO many Red Kites too and Ilove hearing their cries and watching them swoop and circle.

'Bin chickens' in Adelaide make me laugh.

However the pigeons that steal the meal worms and bird seed I put out in my garden for all the little birds do annoy me!!!