Ok, this might sound like a silly question, but do you all start your garden lists over every year, or do you just have one big list? This is my first year of keeping a garden list and so I was just curious. Thanks!
Personally, we always used to keep a single garden list, adding to it over the years. I think before we moved house (and I then moved to London) it was at something like 65 species.
Having said that, as with all listing questions, it's entirely up to you - count whatever you want to count, however you want to count it! The only time you need to standardise is if you want to compare to someone else.
It depends on the reason or goals for your list.
If you keep a year listing and you list the date first seen and the date last seen, you can track migration through your yard. If you keep population counts then you can tell which are on the decline. If you add a feature to your garden, say a fruiting tree, and compare year lists to see if it makes any difference in the number or variety of birds that visit. What are your goal(s)?
I have an excel spreadsheet which I have included many factors observed during the sighting. My goals where to learn more about identification, migration, local conditions and songs. I can sort according to any of these factors so my single list can be divided into many different sub-lists. If I think a factor is interesting, important or just fun, I create a new field or column for that factor. Here is a copy of some of the factors I record on each sighting. Next year I am adding population and weather to the spreadsheet.
Month, Year, Category, Name, Location, Type, Patch, State, Habitate, Picture, Other, Duplicate, song