Sunday 30 March 2014

Spring is springing

After a week away working in Holland and a overnight stop in Folkstone  it was a week since I had been on the patch .So after Willow waking me up I was out the door at 7am ,which as the clocks went forward an hour was actually 6am.
The weather was perfect with the sun rising over the mist covered river meadows and the first bird I heard was a singing Blackcap ,a first for the year on the patch and obviously just in from his winter holidays around the Med .
Chiffchaff are arriving and on the patch today were 3 singing males ,earlier than last year as I remember .  I scanned the skies for a Swallow or a Sand Martin but no luck but with the winds from the south they cannot be far away and the latter have been seen nearby .
The number of drumming Greater Spotted Woodpeckers today was a healthy 4 , also a Green Woodpecker called.
Over the river meadows a Curlew called from the mist leaden river meadows ,very evocative .
On the pastures a few Meadow Pipits passed over 7/8 some straight over due north. The same can be said of the trickle of Finches as they passed over with small parties of Linnets and Goldfinches hurrying north.
A nice surprise was a pair of Shelduck heading in the same direction , the second pair this spring. Overhead the sky was full of song as Skylarks claimed there breeding territory , all of the wintering birds having now seemingly left ,I counted at least 9 birds this morning .
 The bird of the day however was a superb male Wheatear feeding on sheep pasture ,a great bird, I always marvel at these global travellers , where will he end up ,North Wales, Scotland ,Iceland, Siberia ? he just was"nt big enough to be a Greenland bird . In the field next to the Wheatear sat 2 fine Brown Hare , Willow was ushered  the other way.
The best of the rest were Red Legged Partridge , 6 plus Stock Dove, Mistle Thrush.
On the garden front the pair of Blue Tits are nest building but the Robins seem to be absent . For my Bullfinch fan I am afraid there was no sight or sound today despite me going to the places they usually are, better luck next time I hope.   

Saturday 22 March 2014

Slow Transition

As the title suggests the seasons are changing although today it felt colder than any other day of the winter.
Over the week there were a few high lights, with a flock of 25 Fieldfare heading east , and a steady through put of Meadow Pipits with numbers fluctuating on a daily basis as they pass there way north .
So Willow and I were out at 6.30 am and it was a clear sunlit morning although the wind was cold and a few squally showers passed over during the walk.
After a few days of not hearing any Chiffchaffs (last Saturdays bird had moved on ), it was pleasing to hear 2 birds this morning.
A Buzzard flapped lazily overhead and a Moorhen called from a small pond ,it remained unseen though .
On pasture Skylarks had decreased to 6 most birds in pairs now, they will attempt to breed but few if any will succeed thanks to our lovely local farmer ,he is about as sensitive to nature as a nuclear bomb.
Meadow Pipits were again to the fore with 29 been seen ,the largest flock being 15, one and twos passed over heading due north. .There was also a slight upturn in Linnet Numbers with 15 plus been seen including a flock of 12 no doubt migrants.
A calling Curlew from the river meadows was a lovely sound ,it reminds me of much wilder places that I have been .
On the raptor front apart from the Buzzard there were 2 Sparrow hawk this morning with both male and female hunting the hedgerows. A Raven was seen perching on a dead tree ,they often just seem to be passing over so it was nice to see one on the deck, they really are big birds.
The usual Green Woodpecker called in the distance ,but I never seem to see it ,also an unseen Greater Spotted Woodpecker called.
The best of the rest were a Red Legged Partridge and 6 plus Stock Dove. So on the whole pretty quiet really and with me working away this week  I feel I may miss the first arrival of some species .
In the garden our pair of Blue Tits look as if they are going to use the nest box this year  .It was also good to see a pair of Robins looking as if they are prospecting a nest sight within the garden ,a reader remarked how much they liked Robins and I am guilty of overlooking them ,so when you read this I will try to rectify that and let you know how they are doing on a regular basis .

Sunday 16 March 2014

Sunday hat trick

The most perfect Sunday morning, bright sun, gentle breeze. So I was out with Willow at 7am, wandering up the hedgerow in the hope of finding the first summer migrant.
The first sign that spring has arrived for definite was a calling Curlew from the river meadows ,a first for the year ,I hear them as they arrive back on their breeding areas .A few pairs manage to hang on along the river.
Skylarks had decreased to 8, no doubt some birds had taken advantage of the clear night to migrate ,likewise the Meadow Pipits were at 24 plus, some perched on the wire fences maybe taking a break before moving on.
A small flock of birds caught my attention and at first they seemed to be all Linnets ,but one bird caught my attention and low and behold a fine female Reed Bunting showed herself, another year tick.
A Raven passed over eastwards and a pair of Shelduck zoomed over heading due north ,this was turning out to a good morning.
A small flock of 20 plus Lesser Black Backed Gulls fed on a sheep pasture , the rest of the vast numbers of Gulls we have being seeing have moved on.
Winter Thrush"s numbered 50 plus Fieldfare and just 7 Redwing today again most having moved on in the clear night.
As I got close to the cottage thinking why had I not managed to find at least one summer migrant a Chiffchaff burst into song ,another year tick and evidence that birds are arriving and departing as spring migration picks up.
Its gonna heat up over the next few weeks .
The patch list now stands at 59

Saturday 15 March 2014

Fieldfares on the march !

Here we are again and another weekend is here, so a quick update on the mid weeks high lights , well on that score not much to report although early spring passage is more and more evident. Wednesday I was out in the early afternoon , and it was evident that Pied Wagtails were passing through with a flock of 25 feeding on a manured field, also with them were 5 Meadow Pipits.
2  Raven gronked there way over heading north and a Green Woodpecker was calling somewhere in the distance.
A large flock of 160 plus Fieldfare passed over ,also 20 plus Redwing and a solitary Mistle Thrush was noted.
A Buzzard and 6 Stock Dove made onto the day list.
So Saturday dawned a warm perfect spring morning, today must be the day when we would record our first Summer migrant surely , but it was not to be ,that been said birds were on the move .
Meadow Pipits numbered 17 plus ,with them scattered about in ones and twos ,the largest flock was of 8 . Skylarks were to the fore today with 16 plus on the patch with a good few in song. On the down side only 5 plus Pied Wagtails today ,I cannot find any White Wagtails in amongst them as yet.
On the Woodpecker front we recorded a calling Green and a drumming Greater Spotted this morning.
It seemed perverse on such a perfect spring morning that winter Thrush"s dominated the scene with a massive 550 plus Fieldfare passing over ,some flocks heading north,  others to the east ,next stop Scandanavia .Redwing numbered just 8 plus today ,and a couple of Mistle Thrush passed over with one heading north at great height.
For the raptor fans 3 Buzzards were up once it got warm enough and another Sparrow hawk passed north ,was it another migrant ? The romantic in me would like to think so.
I was pleased to see a pair of Yellowhammer on the north edge of the patch ,the male giving its song atop a gatepost.

The best of the rest were 9 Stock Dove and 5 Red legged Partridge. Lets see if we can find our first summer migrant tomorrow .

Sunday 9 March 2014

Little bit of Gold

A stunning morning ,clear blue skies , no breeze a perfect morning, Willow and I were out at 7am with the sun rising over the mist covered river meadows , a perfect sight ,it felt good to be alive. There must be a early summer migrant , but in the event perhaps I was getting ahead of myself.
A massive flight of Gulls first thing was  an amazing thing to see with an estimated 2500 Black Headed Gulls ,500 plus Common Gulls and a smaller number of Lesser Black Backed Gulls all heading upriver and North East.
On the pastures were 12 Skylarks with some in full song  and Meadow Pipits had reduced to 29 plus ,some having moved on. A single Red Legged Partridge was heard calling ,but not seen .
The 3 by now regular Linnets were in the usual place and there were 4 Pied Wagtails feeding on  the large piles of Cow manure that has been dumped in the fields ready for spreading .
A few tardy winter Thrush s remained with 5 Redwing  and 13 plus Fieldfares, maybe these are birds passing through our area.
2 drumming Greater Spotted Woodpeckers were heard a sure sign that spring is really going to happen and a distant Green Woodpecker called.
I usually pass a small belt of conifers and its about this time I may see  Britains smallest bird the Goldcrest   ,and today species number 56 rolled in with 2 of these little beauties , I just do not see them enough around these parts. I have always admired them as when I was at Spurn point seeing them arrive across the North Sea at dawn was incredible ,smaller than a Wren and weighting less than a 10p piece to fly over the North Sea in October ,  nothing short of a miracle.
Best of the rest were 6 Stock Dove and a calling unseen Moorhen.
Having heard from a mate on the south coast that the first wave of Wheatears arrived this morning things should start to liven up somewhat.
 The species list now stands at 56   

Saturday 8 March 2014

Bird Porn !

Well here we are again with another update on whats been on the patch in the week and Saturday. The only highlight from midweek was an Tawny Owl which called briefly on Wednesday evening.
I managed to get out on Friday afternoon and it was evident that spring is on its way ,however the first birds seen were a flock of 25 Fieldfare, the rest would of appeared to have moved on northwards.
The floods have receded but there are still large areas of water and there were still the usual Gull flock 300/400 birds Black Headed ,Common, and  Lesser Black Backed Gulls in that order being present.
On the meadows 8 Skylarks were present with up to 5 singing, there were also 38 plus Meadow Pipits ,a sure sign of spring migration these birds will be as high north as Iceland come the summer months ,awesome really when you think about it.
Overhead a very high flying flock of some 200 plus Starling headed north east ,leaving us for northern climes for the summer.
The best of the rest were 12 Stock Dove 2 female Kestrel and 6 Buzzards
One of the things that happens when you become as the only"  birder in the village " is that sometimes neighbours bring you pictures of birds that they cannot id themselves ,this happened yesterday when I was presented with a picture of an unusual Pheasant that visited next doors garden, my eyes nearly popped out of my head when  I realised that it was a male Amherst "s Pheasant ,a bird I have not seen but you cannot count it as I did not see it myself. There is a small feral population  in Buckinghamshire so what a bird was doing here is any ones guess .
I did not get out until Saturday lunchtime and the weather was stunning ,a really great spring day. It is sometimes what you do not see as much as what  you do and with only 2 Fieldfare and 4 Redwing it appears that they will all be gone soon until next October .
On the meadows at 1500 Gulls were present ,all the usual species although there seemed to be many more Common Gulls than of late ,these birds will also be off north soon. A lone Lapwing flew downriver .
On the pastures 11 Skylark were in good voice and there were 2 flocks of Meadow Pipits which totalled 41 plus birds.
A Mistle Thrush passed over as did a flock of 85 plus Starling . There were 50 plus Woodpigeon in a flock as well and a male Sparrow hawk was patrolling the hedges.
 The best of the rest were a Red Legged Partridge ,Buzzard ,Pied Wagtail ( a big drop from the numbers the other day), and 8 Stock Dove.
Lets see what tomorrow brings .

Sunday 2 March 2014

Northern Song

Saturday the 1st of March ,the first day of spring so it made sense that it would be a freezing cold morning with a frost and clear blue skies , the wacky weather continues.
The birds were getting into the swing of things ,it had a real spring feel about things this morning with plenty of birdsong.
The sun was rising over the mist covered meadows and one of the first things that greeted me were
 4 Mute Swans that passed over the front of the red sun and into the mist, just stunning.
It was obvious the gull flock was still there with at least 2500 birds present with Black Headed, Common, Lesser Black Backed and Herring Gulls all present.
On the pasture Skylarks were singing with 13 birds present, some will try to breed here but others will soon move north . Meadow Pipits were evident in larger numbers than of late with a flock of 10 north over the cottage and another flock of 40 plus on the top fields ,with them were  a flock of spring migrant Pied Wagtails with up to 45 plus birds present.
Linnets put a good show on as well with a flock of 27 buzzing around.
Species number 55 appeared in the form of 2 flyover Greylag Geese ,although they are feral it is sometimes a question of whether to include them or not on the species count.
Winter thrushes have decreased of late as birds move to the far north to breed in the Taiga and Boreal forests of the north so it was nice to see a flock of 25 plus Fieldfare and 15 plus Redwing .It was then that the highlight of the walk occurred ,on hearing a bird song that was not instantly recognisable ,it took me a couple of seconds to remember that I had heard this song in Northern Finland and it was confirmed when I spotted a Redwing in full song , just beautiful ,a clear haunting call of the Northern Forests right here in little old Tirley.
A male Sparrowhawk passed northwards at a low height ,a migrant perhaps ? we will never know but my feeling is that it was a local bird as a migrant would of passed over a great height  .
The spring like feel carried on with a calling Green Woodpecker and a drumming Greater Spotted Woodpecker and a calling flyover Mistle Thrush.
Just up from the cottage a fine pair of Bullfinch were seen .
The best of the rest Buzzard, 4 Stock Dove.
The species patch list now stands at 55