Keep Track of Birds Visiting Your Yard with a Yard List

Many birders keep several lists of birds.  The most important is a life list, the list of all species of birds they’ve seen.  The life list can be broken down into more specific lists, documenting birds seen in a particular country, state, or county, or in a certain month or year.  One of my favorite lists to keep is my yard list, which includes birds that visit my yard, plus birds that I see from my yard.

If you started listing the species you see in your yard, you’d probably be surprised at the diversity of your local bird community.  I started keeping track of my yard list in the fall of 2012, and I added 38 species by the end of the year.  After a year of counting the list was at 65.  I added my 100th species in March of 2016 when a pair of Wood Ducks flew over the yard.  The more species you add, the harder it gets to find new species.  After adding #145, an Acadian Flycatcher, in September 2023, I had to wait more than two years to add any new species.  I got lucky in late 2025 and saw #146, a Golden Eagle circling overhead on Halloween, and #147, a Greater White-fronted Goose flying by with some Canada Geese a few days before Christmas.

If you’d like to keep a list, consider using the free eBird app.  I’ve learned a lot about the birds in my yard using that tool.  For example, I know to watch for Rose-breasted Grosbeaks during the first week of May as they arrive in our area on spring migration.  I can see that Ruby-throated Hummingbirds visit between mid-April and early October, but August and September are by far the best time to see them.  Dark-eyed Juncos are on the opposite end of the calendar, arriving in the fall in the first week of October, and departing before the end of April.  Here is a list of the top ten most common birds in my yard during the month of January:

1. White-throated Sparrow
2. Northern Cardinal
3. American Crow
4. Dark-eyed Junco
5. Carolina Chickadee
6. House Sparrow
7. American Robin
8. House Finch
9. Carolina Wren
10. Canada Goose