So after a entertaining trip to Spurn on Thursday (plenty of cracking birds including the Masked Shrike ) it was back to the patch, one thing is for certain we are no Spurn Point but we still see migrants come through our little patch of nowhere .
Friday appeared to be the day the local Swallows and House Martins left ,there were at least 80 plus Swallow and 40 plus House Martins feeding over the pastures until they all moved south on mass .Time pressure meant I could not get around the whole patch and I had the feeling that were more birds to be found , so it was a bit frustrating to say the least .
Other migrants that were on the pastures or passed overhead were 44 plus Meadow Pipits, 4 Jay , 16 plus Skylark and a flock of 50 plus Woodpigeons.
In the bushes and hedges were 8 plus Chiffchaff ,12 plus Robin but in the short time I had I failed to find anything else other than the usual resident birds.
Around the field edges were the usual Green Woodpecker, Greater Spotted Woodpecker, a single Stock Dove, a flock of 102 Starling and a flyover Pied Wagtail.
So Saturday dawned in the usual benign way ,the weather seems to be stuck in a real rut at the moment and although dry its getting quite boring really, bring on some colder weather that's what I say.
Walking around the bushes and hedges in the early sunshine I checked out the warmer more moist hidden areas of the patch and found 12 plus Chiffchaff feeding ,17 plus Robin and the Autumns first Goldcrest which was in amongst a flock of 15 Long Tailed Tits
Looking on Twitter parts of Gloucestershire were seeing large numbers of Swallows and House Martins passing over. Only a few Swallows passed over and all we could manage were 2 flocks of 14 and 10 and a single bird, thousands were passing at nearby watch points but not here today !
2 Mistle Thrush passed high over to the south calling as they went over ,their northern cousins will soon be with us anyday now I hope.
Starling are now regular and numbers will build as the winter visitors arrive so the first of these flocks were seen today 80 plus on pasture.
Two other Autumn migrants were about with Skylarks 12 plus over heading south and small parties of Meadow pipits just 12 passing over this morning.
There were more Finches around and perhaps just a hint of some Autumn passage with 25 plus Linnet over and a southward bound flock of 10 Goldfinch .A pair of Bullfinch were in the usual place both male and female seen together.
I have read that there are large numbers of Jays are arriving in the country due to an Acorn failure so that will go some way to explaining why we are seeing them passing over on a regular basis at the moment ,another 2 were seen today.
The usual Woodpeckers were about with a Green and 3 Greater Spotted.
The best of the rest were 2 Pied Wagtail , Buzzard and 5 Stock Dove . The day finished with a Little Owl calling from the hedgerow beside the cottage at 8pm
Sunday was a carbon copy weather wise and to a lesser or greater extent so were the birds. I was however woken at 1.20 am by a calling Tawny Owl so I was out by 7am as soon as it got properly light .
Checking out the hedges and bushes I found a healthy 13 plus Chiffchaff ,another 15 plus Robins, and 2 Blackcap.
The star bird of the day was a Peregrine Falcon that passed west at 7.15am , they are winter visitors to Ashleworth Ham so this could be the first of the winter birds or just a passage migrant. Other birds of prey were a fine male Sparrow hawk and a female Kestrel calling as she passed over. A couple of Buzzards were soaring high above the cottage at around 10.30am .
Other migrants that passed over were 3 very high flying Mistle Thrush which were seen appearing from high north and heading due south, just 7 House Martins heading south east and a fast flying flock of 4 Swallows which zipped past Africa bound.
Skylarks are now becoming much more noticeable with 21 plus been around the patch some passed south whilst others gave the appearance that maybe they are our wintering birds.
It is nice to report that Meadow Pipits were aplenty on the patch today some passed over but a nice flock of 45 plus were in the top fields this morning they really are a very attractive bird when looked at closely, their creamy breast and those streaks ,very striking birds .The final total seen were 78 plus .
Pied wagtails have started to pass over now and although only 3 did today ,more will follow as we get into October
Just 1 Raven today was seen but 4 Jays were on the patch again.
The best of rest of todays birds were a Red Legged partridge, Green Woodpecker, Greater Spotted Woodpecker, Stock Dove .So it would appear that the patch is under going a quiet period but with October things will get better soon .
Sunday 28 September 2014
Wednesday 24 September 2014
Wet Wednesday
Having looked at the weather forecast on Tuesday night and seeing that a band of rain followed by a breeze from the north I decided to get on the patch early .So Willow and I were out at first light around 7.15am .A gentle rain was falling and it appeared that not a lot was happening when out of the murk a flock of Swallows appeared from on high , they had been caught out by the passing shower ,they landed on wires to rest and feed whilst the rain passed over. This made them easy to count, 95 birds with just 2 House Martin . After that Swallows passed over in dribs and drabs over the next two and half hours and a final tally of 225 plus passed south along with just 20 plus House Martins today. The latter been somewhat short of the count of 60,000 that passed over Sandwich bird observatory yesterday, what a sight that must of been !
The bushes and hedges seem to have a fair few migrants that had been dropped onto us by the rain band ,a good count of at least 20 plus Chiffchaffs ( there must of been more around ), were supplemented by 19 plus Robin, singles of Redstart, Lesser Whitethroat, Whitethroat, Willow Warbler, plus at least 3 plus Blackcap. A really nice selection of birds .
Other birds seen in the hedges were a juvenile Bullfinch , a Yellowhammer , something that I have not recorded on the patch for ages so that was a nice surprise.
On the pastures the rain had brought down a fair few Meadow Pipits with a flock of 120 plus on a stubble field and 55 plus passing over in small groups all towards the south west .So we managed 175 plus after yesterdays poor performance .A decent size group of Skylarks were seen with a flock of 17 on a fodder beet field.
Jays continue to make themselves known with 3 today including one that passed over due south. Maybe a few migrant Stock Doves were on the patch today with 15 been seen ,that's more than the usual count and should increase next month as the migrant Woodpigeons pass through .
After yesterdays raptor fest all I could manage was a poor 2 Buzzard today ,a single Raven gronked its way over the patch .
The best of the rest were a skien of 40 feral Greylag Geese, 9 Canada Geese, Green Woodpecker, 2 Greater Spotted Woodpecker , and 2 Pied wagtail .
So a nice selection of birds this morning from my little patch of no where , it really does surprise me what passes through here .
Bring on Friday morning !
The bushes and hedges seem to have a fair few migrants that had been dropped onto us by the rain band ,a good count of at least 20 plus Chiffchaffs ( there must of been more around ), were supplemented by 19 plus Robin, singles of Redstart, Lesser Whitethroat, Whitethroat, Willow Warbler, plus at least 3 plus Blackcap. A really nice selection of birds .
Other birds seen in the hedges were a juvenile Bullfinch , a Yellowhammer , something that I have not recorded on the patch for ages so that was a nice surprise.
On the pastures the rain had brought down a fair few Meadow Pipits with a flock of 120 plus on a stubble field and 55 plus passing over in small groups all towards the south west .So we managed 175 plus after yesterdays poor performance .A decent size group of Skylarks were seen with a flock of 17 on a fodder beet field.
Jays continue to make themselves known with 3 today including one that passed over due south. Maybe a few migrant Stock Doves were on the patch today with 15 been seen ,that's more than the usual count and should increase next month as the migrant Woodpigeons pass through .
After yesterdays raptor fest all I could manage was a poor 2 Buzzard today ,a single Raven gronked its way over the patch .
The best of the rest were a skien of 40 feral Greylag Geese, 9 Canada Geese, Green Woodpecker, 2 Greater Spotted Woodpecker , and 2 Pied wagtail .
So a nice selection of birds this morning from my little patch of no where , it really does surprise me what passes through here .
Bring on Friday morning !
Tuesday 23 September 2014
Another day in paradise
Another day off work ,more sunshine and a cool start so we hit the patch again this morning.
The bushes and hedgerows showed a little more life this morning with another Lesser Whitethroat, 8 plus Chiffchaff and at least 3 plus Blackcap .The influx of Robins continues with 13 plus seen again today.
Overhead took most of the attention this morning with 102 plus Swallows feeding over the area, others moved straight south ,they were accompanied by 100 plus House Martins most of the latter were at much lower altitude than the Swallows .
2 more Jays moved to the south as did a solitary Skylark .Its raptors this morning who featured well with a dashing Hobby through at around 9.30 am, 2 Jackdaws were trying to give a hard time but it left them for dead. 5 Buzzards were over the patch and at one point I was watching a soaring Buzzard along with a soaring female Sparrow hawk and a female Kestrel all together ,a great sight. The Raven count was 3 ,down on the heady heights of 6 the other day.
Other Autumn migrants were present albeit in smaller numbers than the other day with just 9 Meadow Pipits today ,again well down from yesterday ,but it just shows how quickly some birds move on. Another single Mistle Thrush was present today as were 20 plus Goldfinch.
A Wagtail passed south but it did not look right for a Pied so I am going to mark it down as an Alba Wagtail although I am not adding it to the species list for the patch for the year as I did not ID firmly . Woodpeckers today were 1 Green and at least 3Greater Spotted.
The bird of the day however was a stunning Greenland type Wheatear perched on wire fence in the top fields , a cracker of a bird .
So a nice bonus walk with a good selection of birds ,the resident birds seem to have had a good breeding season this year as have the summer visitors .
What will Wednesday bring ?
The bushes and hedgerows showed a little more life this morning with another Lesser Whitethroat, 8 plus Chiffchaff and at least 3 plus Blackcap .The influx of Robins continues with 13 plus seen again today.
Overhead took most of the attention this morning with 102 plus Swallows feeding over the area, others moved straight south ,they were accompanied by 100 plus House Martins most of the latter were at much lower altitude than the Swallows .
2 more Jays moved to the south as did a solitary Skylark .Its raptors this morning who featured well with a dashing Hobby through at around 9.30 am, 2 Jackdaws were trying to give a hard time but it left them for dead. 5 Buzzards were over the patch and at one point I was watching a soaring Buzzard along with a soaring female Sparrow hawk and a female Kestrel all together ,a great sight. The Raven count was 3 ,down on the heady heights of 6 the other day.
Other Autumn migrants were present albeit in smaller numbers than the other day with just 9 Meadow Pipits today ,again well down from yesterday ,but it just shows how quickly some birds move on. Another single Mistle Thrush was present today as were 20 plus Goldfinch.
A Wagtail passed south but it did not look right for a Pied so I am going to mark it down as an Alba Wagtail although I am not adding it to the species list for the patch for the year as I did not ID firmly . Woodpeckers today were 1 Green and at least 3Greater Spotted.
The bird of the day however was a stunning Greenland type Wheatear perched on wire fence in the top fields , a cracker of a bird .
So a nice bonus walk with a good selection of birds ,the resident birds seem to have had a good breeding season this year as have the summer visitors .
What will Wednesday bring ?
Monday 22 September 2014
Sky full of Swallows
With a day off work and a clear blue sky a bonus trip onto the patch was in order .A distinct nip in the air this morning the mercury was 4 degrees c according to the car this morning on the school run. I was on the patch by 9.30 and has been the case Swallows were moving over again in good numbers including one flock of 150 plus that paused for a short while on the telephone wires over the pastures. They soon moved on and over the entire two and half hours I logged 235 plus over but in all honesty I think this was a huge under estimation on my part, this Autumn really has been exceptional for my little patch for this species this year.
Both species of Martins were seen today with 20 plus House Martins including juveniles still been fed by adults as they rested on the overhead wires and a single Sand Martin was in amongst the throng .
The other big player today was Meadow Pipits with 107 plus seen in three different flocks ,birds were also heard passing overhead .It is nice to report that the start of the Skylark Passage has started today with 10 birds passing south and west. Likewise a Pied Wagtail ,this bird did look maybe like a White but I am not sure so it remains a Pied.
The raptor count today was good with 12 plus Buzzard including 7 together ,try as I might I could not turn one into a Honey Buzzard , but some birds must be on passage as this is well over the normal count for the patch. A female Kestrel cruised over looking fine in the bright sunlight.
The Raven were about again with 2 been seen including one which was soaring with a pair of Buzzards.
The hedges and bushes were a little more exciting today with 6 Chiffchaff including 3 singers, a very grey looking Lesser Whitethroat, a Willow Warbler and a Whitethroat ,all three species having not been seen for a few days ,so it just shows that birds are still filtering through the patch.
For my Bullfinch fan 2 were seen today in their usual hang out ,they disappeared and headed north.
The influx of Robins continues with 13 plus seen this morning, I have never really looked at Robins in the same way since seeing them arrive at Spurn Point one October morning ,the point was alive with them and its odd to think that so many arrive for the winter with us or pass through on the way to their winter quarters .
The number of Jays seem to be increasing all the time with 6 been seen today including 3 that headed due west without stopping. A Mistle Thrush was sitting briefly on the overhead wires ,I wonder if its 'our " wintering bird or just a passage migrant ? .
The best of the rest were 8 Stock Dove ,Green Woodpecker ,2 Greater Spotted Woodpecker, and a southward bound flock of 9 Goldfinch.
I have to finish on a poor note however and report that the usual flaying of the hedges has now started , with some hedges now standing no more than 3 feet in height , quite why this done is beyond me and it destroys habitat for so much wildlife , you sometimes despair you really do .
On a more positive note the Maize has started to be harvested and that will hopefully bring in more birds such as Larks, Pipits , Wagtails and some nice Finch flocks.
Lets see what turns up !
Both species of Martins were seen today with 20 plus House Martins including juveniles still been fed by adults as they rested on the overhead wires and a single Sand Martin was in amongst the throng .
The other big player today was Meadow Pipits with 107 plus seen in three different flocks ,birds were also heard passing overhead .It is nice to report that the start of the Skylark Passage has started today with 10 birds passing south and west. Likewise a Pied Wagtail ,this bird did look maybe like a White but I am not sure so it remains a Pied.
The raptor count today was good with 12 plus Buzzard including 7 together ,try as I might I could not turn one into a Honey Buzzard , but some birds must be on passage as this is well over the normal count for the patch. A female Kestrel cruised over looking fine in the bright sunlight.
The Raven were about again with 2 been seen including one which was soaring with a pair of Buzzards.
The hedges and bushes were a little more exciting today with 6 Chiffchaff including 3 singers, a very grey looking Lesser Whitethroat, a Willow Warbler and a Whitethroat ,all three species having not been seen for a few days ,so it just shows that birds are still filtering through the patch.
For my Bullfinch fan 2 were seen today in their usual hang out ,they disappeared and headed north.
The influx of Robins continues with 13 plus seen this morning, I have never really looked at Robins in the same way since seeing them arrive at Spurn Point one October morning ,the point was alive with them and its odd to think that so many arrive for the winter with us or pass through on the way to their winter quarters .
The number of Jays seem to be increasing all the time with 6 been seen today including 3 that headed due west without stopping. A Mistle Thrush was sitting briefly on the overhead wires ,I wonder if its 'our " wintering bird or just a passage migrant ? .
The best of the rest were 8 Stock Dove ,Green Woodpecker ,2 Greater Spotted Woodpecker, and a southward bound flock of 9 Goldfinch.
I have to finish on a poor note however and report that the usual flaying of the hedges has now started , with some hedges now standing no more than 3 feet in height , quite why this done is beyond me and it destroys habitat for so much wildlife , you sometimes despair you really do .
On a more positive note the Maize has started to be harvested and that will hopefully bring in more birds such as Larks, Pipits , Wagtails and some nice Finch flocks.
Lets see what turns up !
Sunday 21 September 2014
Poor relation
As the rest of the country appears to awash with vagrants from the east and places in and around the patch seem to be getting morsels of decent birds ,we however appear to have been ignored by the birding gods
With the promised cold front arriving overnight Willow and I were greeted by a cool clear morning , optimism was high but as we made our way around the patch it soon was crushed as I realised that the BIG ONE had bypassed Tirley ,I had my hopes set on say a Red Breasted Flycatcher but the closest I could get was an influx of at least 15 plus Robins on the patch.
Overhead the numbers were again provided by Swallows with 122 plus moving east in a two and half hour period . Autumn is the time we see and hear Skylarks moving over the patch and a flock of 8 were on pasture and others were heard passing south in the clear blue sky. After last weeks large flock of Meadow Pipits today I could only muster 3 but again more were heard moving overhead ,although I think only in small numbers.
It might have been the start albeit in a small way of wagtails moving ,but with the rest of the west enjoying large numbers we managed a whole 2 ,ah the joys of patch birding ! sometimes it is bloody hard work.
We usually see a couple of Ravens on our walk but today there were 6 on the patch .Jays screeched from the trees and 4 were seen today.
The bushes and hedgerows were quiet apart from 8 plus Chiffchaff dotted about.
Other birds seen around the pastures were 3 Stock Dove, Red Legged Partridge, a flock of flyover 9 Canada Geese (plastic birds), and a Cormorant .The Green Woodpecker put in an appearance.
On the raptor list were a male Kestrel and 5 plus Buzzards .
So with a week off work lets see what I can find this week ,it can only get better as today was one of the quietest walks for a long while
With the promised cold front arriving overnight Willow and I were greeted by a cool clear morning , optimism was high but as we made our way around the patch it soon was crushed as I realised that the BIG ONE had bypassed Tirley ,I had my hopes set on say a Red Breasted Flycatcher but the closest I could get was an influx of at least 15 plus Robins on the patch.
Overhead the numbers were again provided by Swallows with 122 plus moving east in a two and half hour period . Autumn is the time we see and hear Skylarks moving over the patch and a flock of 8 were on pasture and others were heard passing south in the clear blue sky. After last weeks large flock of Meadow Pipits today I could only muster 3 but again more were heard moving overhead ,although I think only in small numbers.
It might have been the start albeit in a small way of wagtails moving ,but with the rest of the west enjoying large numbers we managed a whole 2 ,ah the joys of patch birding ! sometimes it is bloody hard work.
We usually see a couple of Ravens on our walk but today there were 6 on the patch .Jays screeched from the trees and 4 were seen today.
The bushes and hedgerows were quiet apart from 8 plus Chiffchaff dotted about.
Other birds seen around the pastures were 3 Stock Dove, Red Legged Partridge, a flock of flyover 9 Canada Geese (plastic birds), and a Cormorant .The Green Woodpecker put in an appearance.
On the raptor list were a male Kestrel and 5 plus Buzzards .
So with a week off work lets see what I can find this week ,it can only get better as today was one of the quietest walks for a long while
Saturday 20 September 2014
Swallows on the move
With work getting the way I have only managed a few visits to the patch this week and to be honest I get the feeling that I may have missed out somewhat.
The overriding thing this week has been the overhead passage of Swallows and to a lesser extent House Martins with birds moving south overhead in good numbers all this week especially on Thursday afternoon when I managed in a 45 min period to log 600 plus Swallow moving south ,with them were a small number of House Martins.
The first good flock of Meadow Pipits appeared on Thursday with a good count of 170 plus , numbers have since decreased again .
Its fair to say that the hedges and bushes are now much quieter but I still managed to find a Redstart , a few Blackcaps and still quite a few Chiffchaffs.
So on Saturday by the time I managed to get onto the patch it was in the afternoon, less than ideal but I felt that I had missed out in the week and who knows what might have been lurking out there !
It soon became obvious that Swallows were still moving over and 280 plus were logged passing south ,20 plus House Martins were tagging along. In all the years I have lived here this has been the best Autumn passage for Swallows .
Sticking with overhead theme up to 7 Buzzard were on the patch today ,try as I might I could not turn one of them into a Honey Buzzard . One of the resident Raven was touring the patch .
In the hedges were 7 plus Chiffchaff and a flock of 20 plus Goldfinch .It was the pastures that came up with the best bird of the day with a stonking Wheatear, it really looked as if it was a Greenland type. The flock of Meadow Pipits had decreased to just 8 today, the rest having moved on.
There were 3 Skylark today ,with no doubt more hidden in the grass, also heard was a Red Legged Partridge ,the first for what seems like ages.
Jays continue to trickle through with 2 this afternoon ,but just a single Stock dove was recorded .
The best of the rest were a male Kestrel ,Green Woodpecker and a Greater Spotted Woodpecker and the usual build up of Wood Pigeons which really means that winter is on its way.
With a cold front pushing down from the north this evening it could be a good morning walk.
The overriding thing this week has been the overhead passage of Swallows and to a lesser extent House Martins with birds moving south overhead in good numbers all this week especially on Thursday afternoon when I managed in a 45 min period to log 600 plus Swallow moving south ,with them were a small number of House Martins.
The first good flock of Meadow Pipits appeared on Thursday with a good count of 170 plus , numbers have since decreased again .
Its fair to say that the hedges and bushes are now much quieter but I still managed to find a Redstart , a few Blackcaps and still quite a few Chiffchaffs.
So on Saturday by the time I managed to get onto the patch it was in the afternoon, less than ideal but I felt that I had missed out in the week and who knows what might have been lurking out there !
It soon became obvious that Swallows were still moving over and 280 plus were logged passing south ,20 plus House Martins were tagging along. In all the years I have lived here this has been the best Autumn passage for Swallows .
Sticking with overhead theme up to 7 Buzzard were on the patch today ,try as I might I could not turn one of them into a Honey Buzzard . One of the resident Raven was touring the patch .
In the hedges were 7 plus Chiffchaff and a flock of 20 plus Goldfinch .It was the pastures that came up with the best bird of the day with a stonking Wheatear, it really looked as if it was a Greenland type. The flock of Meadow Pipits had decreased to just 8 today, the rest having moved on.
There were 3 Skylark today ,with no doubt more hidden in the grass, also heard was a Red Legged Partridge ,the first for what seems like ages.
Jays continue to trickle through with 2 this afternoon ,but just a single Stock dove was recorded .
The best of the rest were a male Kestrel ,Green Woodpecker and a Greater Spotted Woodpecker and the usual build up of Wood Pigeons which really means that winter is on its way.
With a cold front pushing down from the north this evening it could be a good morning walk.
Sunday 14 September 2014
On the move.
Another quick update , from not seeing any House Martins this morning a large flock of 100 plus along with 100 plus Swallow moved over the village at 2.30pm.
In my previous update I forgot to mention the week just gone. The big news is that just about everyone in the village has seen the Barn Owl that is hunting in the field next to the cottage, the only person not too is of course yours truly. That would be number 85 for the patch this year ,so I am going to keep my eyes peeled.
The last week has been quite busy with calling Little and Tawny Owls on a nightly basis. I have still seen Blackcaps and Chiffchaffs in the hedgerows but very little else until today. Swallows and to a lesser extent House Martins have moved through .
The trickle of Meadow Pipits and Skylarks has continued but no great numbers yet although it is still early.
One more week at work and then I am off for a week ,so expect almost daily bulletins around that time.
In my previous update I forgot to mention the week just gone. The big news is that just about everyone in the village has seen the Barn Owl that is hunting in the field next to the cottage, the only person not too is of course yours truly. That would be number 85 for the patch this year ,so I am going to keep my eyes peeled.
The last week has been quite busy with calling Little and Tawny Owls on a nightly basis. I have still seen Blackcaps and Chiffchaffs in the hedgerows but very little else until today. Swallows and to a lesser extent House Martins have moved through .
The trickle of Meadow Pipits and Skylarks has continued but no great numbers yet although it is still early.
One more week at work and then I am off for a week ,so expect almost daily bulletins around that time.
The Stench of Death
Saturdays walk was ruined by the delightful hobby by the local law breaking local hunt as they pursued in the past time of Cubbing .Against the law they send in a pack of hounds into a field whilst surrounding the field with riders to kill fox cubs .It amazes me how these people think they are above the law of the land .There were at least 50 riders including kids , just so friggin wrong . As a result Willow and I had to cancel our walk .
It therefore came as a relief on Sunday morning then that there were no sounds of the hunt to be heard. It was grey with low cloud and maybe a tad chillier .
So the first bird I heard was a singing Chiffchaff .The magic hedgerow seem to have lost some of its magic but after some searching of the other spots there were some reasonable counts of Chiffchaffs with 12 pus seen . I managed to also find 4 Blackcap, 1 Whitethroat and a Lesser Whitethroat.
There were more small signs of Autumn to be seen with a party of 5 Mistle Thrush , small numbers of Meadow pipits with 6 been seen and 2 Skylark. Of note there seem to be more Song Thrush than of late with at least 6 birds , some to be arriving from high eastwards .
There were at least 3 Jays around today and a flyover Pied Wagtail passed south west. For the numbers Swallows stole the show with 129 plus passing east to south east. There were today no House Martins the first time in a long while none have been seen .
There are more Goldfinches of late with 45 plus on the patch today including a flock of 25 . A Bullfinch was heard from the usual place, but I could not see it.
The log for birds of prey today comprised of a female Sparrow Hawk, male Kestrel and 3 Buzzards. The usual resident Ravens (2), gronked over the patch .
There are more Robins on the patch at the moment with at least a dozen seen or heard ,are they winters visitors already or are they the product of a good breeding season locally ?
Other birds seen today were a Green Woodpecker , 3 Greater Spotted Woodpecker, 4 Stock Dove and a skien of feral Greylag Geese (23), .With the weather set for the foreseeable future I can only hope that the big one turns up ,it cannot be far away with the likes of Wryneck seen not to far away in Gloucester. We just need one more species to match last years total of 85 and now that the bird feeders are stocked up and more and more birds are appearing the garden I have high hopes.
It therefore came as a relief on Sunday morning then that there were no sounds of the hunt to be heard. It was grey with low cloud and maybe a tad chillier .
So the first bird I heard was a singing Chiffchaff .The magic hedgerow seem to have lost some of its magic but after some searching of the other spots there were some reasonable counts of Chiffchaffs with 12 pus seen . I managed to also find 4 Blackcap, 1 Whitethroat and a Lesser Whitethroat.
There were more small signs of Autumn to be seen with a party of 5 Mistle Thrush , small numbers of Meadow pipits with 6 been seen and 2 Skylark. Of note there seem to be more Song Thrush than of late with at least 6 birds , some to be arriving from high eastwards .
There were at least 3 Jays around today and a flyover Pied Wagtail passed south west. For the numbers Swallows stole the show with 129 plus passing east to south east. There were today no House Martins the first time in a long while none have been seen .
There are more Goldfinches of late with 45 plus on the patch today including a flock of 25 . A Bullfinch was heard from the usual place, but I could not see it.
The log for birds of prey today comprised of a female Sparrow Hawk, male Kestrel and 3 Buzzards. The usual resident Ravens (2), gronked over the patch .
There are more Robins on the patch at the moment with at least a dozen seen or heard ,are they winters visitors already or are they the product of a good breeding season locally ?
Other birds seen today were a Green Woodpecker , 3 Greater Spotted Woodpecker, 4 Stock Dove and a skien of feral Greylag Geese (23), .With the weather set for the foreseeable future I can only hope that the big one turns up ,it cannot be far away with the likes of Wryneck seen not to far away in Gloucester. We just need one more species to match last years total of 85 and now that the bird feeders are stocked up and more and more birds are appearing the garden I have high hopes.
Sunday 7 September 2014
After the lords Mayors show
A quiet benign morning ,with little or no wind ,grey skies and a quiet vibe. I get the feeling that things have slowed down somewhat after the relative rush of birds that my little patch has had recently.
As is the case at this time of year the main Warbler species that is passing through at the moment appears to be the Chiffchaff with 15 plus again today (down from yesterday), I did manage to find a single Willow warbler today, the first for a few days. Also present were 2 Whitethroat ,and 2 Blackcap. So you can see its the quietest its been for a few weeks now.
However overhead a few birds were moving over ,if not in large numbers there are signs of the changing seasons . 2 Grey Heron moved north ,it would seem that they had roosted at the local fish ponds and 3 Cormorants passed over . Again a Pied Wagtail passed south west the forerunner of passage which gets going in October.
Swallows trickled through with just 38 plus passing in all directions this morning and House Martins were still active around the local colony with 10 plus birds and another 2 passed high south west.
There are more Finches around at the moment and a fine flock of Goldfinch numbering 41 passed over and in the end there were around 55 plus over in the entire walk .
It was also nice to see 9 Linnet pausing briefly and there were more Chaffinches of late .The finch compliment was made up of 2 Bullfinch . My Bullfinch fan will be pleased to know they seem to have taken up residence once again in the local vicinity.
Carrying on with the Autumnal theme I managed to see yesterdays Jay (or was it another one? ) , and today there were 11 Meadow Pipits on pasture but the Skylarks had moved on. The annual build up of Starlings has started and today there were around 220 plus around ,they are attracted by the fruit on the trees in some of the old orchards that we still have around here.
Raptors were a female Kestrel ,male Sparrow hawk and 2 Buzzard ,a couple of Raven flew low calling as they passed over.
We seem to be awash with Woodpeckers at the moment with 2 Green Woodpeckers and at least 6 Greater spotted seen this morning .
4 Stock Dove were last birds to make the log today .Just a small note yesterday I noticed that we seem to have had an influx of Robins onto the patch with at least 15 seen yesterday and it was the same today so it was not me just imagining it. I remarked to a visitor to the patch yesterday that one or two looked quite continental but surely its bit early yet for them to have arrived for the winter ?
Well lets see what next week has in store .
As is the case at this time of year the main Warbler species that is passing through at the moment appears to be the Chiffchaff with 15 plus again today (down from yesterday), I did manage to find a single Willow warbler today, the first for a few days. Also present were 2 Whitethroat ,and 2 Blackcap. So you can see its the quietest its been for a few weeks now.
However overhead a few birds were moving over ,if not in large numbers there are signs of the changing seasons . 2 Grey Heron moved north ,it would seem that they had roosted at the local fish ponds and 3 Cormorants passed over . Again a Pied Wagtail passed south west the forerunner of passage which gets going in October.
Swallows trickled through with just 38 plus passing in all directions this morning and House Martins were still active around the local colony with 10 plus birds and another 2 passed high south west.
There are more Finches around at the moment and a fine flock of Goldfinch numbering 41 passed over and in the end there were around 55 plus over in the entire walk .
It was also nice to see 9 Linnet pausing briefly and there were more Chaffinches of late .The finch compliment was made up of 2 Bullfinch . My Bullfinch fan will be pleased to know they seem to have taken up residence once again in the local vicinity.
Carrying on with the Autumnal theme I managed to see yesterdays Jay (or was it another one? ) , and today there were 11 Meadow Pipits on pasture but the Skylarks had moved on. The annual build up of Starlings has started and today there were around 220 plus around ,they are attracted by the fruit on the trees in some of the old orchards that we still have around here.
Raptors were a female Kestrel ,male Sparrow hawk and 2 Buzzard ,a couple of Raven flew low calling as they passed over.
We seem to be awash with Woodpeckers at the moment with 2 Green Woodpeckers and at least 6 Greater spotted seen this morning .
4 Stock Dove were last birds to make the log today .Just a small note yesterday I noticed that we seem to have had an influx of Robins onto the patch with at least 15 seen yesterday and it was the same today so it was not me just imagining it. I remarked to a visitor to the patch yesterday that one or two looked quite continental but surely its bit early yet for them to have arrived for the winter ?
Well lets see what next week has in store .
Saturday 6 September 2014
Blue Flash !
This morning it was an early start for Willow and I as we had a visiting birder from London with us this morning. I was hoping for one of those special patch days but in the event we managed to turn up a few nice birds but not the excitement I was hoping that migration may have produced.
After a very quiet start along the magic hedgerow a Blue Flash whizzed by and a very unexpected bird flashed by in the form of a Kingfisher ! what an earth it was doing so far from the river who knows but it is the 84th species this year for the patch ,a good start for the walk .
The magic hedgerow seems to have its peak for the year and was pretty quiet. We managed to find 3 Whitethroat, 1 very shy Lesser Whitethroat, a brief Redstart (which was a target bird for Dave ), and a great count of at least 21 plus Chiffchaff . Birds were spread out over the patch and not concentrated in the usual haunts.
Overhead after a slow start Swallows passed south to south west with 66 plus over and House Martins passed quickly south with one flock of 45 plus ,then another of 30 plus passed south west over the cottage as Willow and I were drinking a well deserved brew after such an early start ,so the final count was 79 plus.
A flock of 12 pus Goldfinch went over ,a far cry from the other day .There are now plenty of Autumnal signs that are appearing thick and fast and nothing more welcome as the first two small flocks of Meadow Pipits with 3 south west and a further 5 on pasture . A flock of 20 plus Skylarks arrived at 9.30ish . The raucous call of a Jay alerted us to its presence.
Raptors got into the act with 2 Buzzard and a male Sparrow hawk and 3 Raven gronked their way around the patch .
Woodpeckers were plentiful with at least 6 Greater Spotted and 2 Green bouncing over and around the patch this morning.
As we neared the cottage a Little Owl called three times and a Bullfinch was heard from a hedge .
So I hope my visitor from the big smoke enjoyed rural Gloucestershire and although not at its vintage best the patch put on a good show. My thanks to Dave for his help in spotting and hearing what was passing
The patch list moves to 84 !
After a very quiet start along the magic hedgerow a Blue Flash whizzed by and a very unexpected bird flashed by in the form of a Kingfisher ! what an earth it was doing so far from the river who knows but it is the 84th species this year for the patch ,a good start for the walk .
The magic hedgerow seems to have its peak for the year and was pretty quiet. We managed to find 3 Whitethroat, 1 very shy Lesser Whitethroat, a brief Redstart (which was a target bird for Dave ), and a great count of at least 21 plus Chiffchaff . Birds were spread out over the patch and not concentrated in the usual haunts.
Overhead after a slow start Swallows passed south to south west with 66 plus over and House Martins passed quickly south with one flock of 45 plus ,then another of 30 plus passed south west over the cottage as Willow and I were drinking a well deserved brew after such an early start ,so the final count was 79 plus.
A flock of 12 pus Goldfinch went over ,a far cry from the other day .There are now plenty of Autumnal signs that are appearing thick and fast and nothing more welcome as the first two small flocks of Meadow Pipits with 3 south west and a further 5 on pasture . A flock of 20 plus Skylarks arrived at 9.30ish . The raucous call of a Jay alerted us to its presence.
Raptors got into the act with 2 Buzzard and a male Sparrow hawk and 3 Raven gronked their way around the patch .
Woodpeckers were plentiful with at least 6 Greater Spotted and 2 Green bouncing over and around the patch this morning.
As we neared the cottage a Little Owl called three times and a Bullfinch was heard from a hedge .
So I hope my visitor from the big smoke enjoyed rural Gloucestershire and although not at its vintage best the patch put on a good show. My thanks to Dave for his help in spotting and hearing what was passing
The patch list moves to 84 !
Wednesday 3 September 2014
Warm Wednesday
Yes another update, it was a warm humid cloudy afternoon after work , and with an slightly easterly breeze it would of been rude not to venture out .
It appeared that it was a good deal quieter than it has been but there were a good spread of species over the part of the patch that I covered .
Overhead House Martins numbered 10 plus in the early afternoon and 12 plus later on ,it was the same as Swallows with just 8 over early in the afternoon and then at 5.30pm a large number appeared with over 200 plus feeding over fields near the village ,some resting on the over head wires.
In the hedges although quieter there were still 2 Spotted Flycatchers and a Redstart .
As I wandered along the lanes it was great to come across 3 fine Wheatears on the fence posts beside the pastures .
In the same area 2 Whitethroats appeared on a barbed wire fence ,so at one point 3 Wheatears and the 2 Whitethroats were all the same piece of fence .
Overhead a party of 3 Raven passed south west flying low over calling. Also seen were a Green Woodpecker, a passing Grey Heron and 2 Stock Doves.
With easterlies all week it could be a good week .
It appeared that it was a good deal quieter than it has been but there were a good spread of species over the part of the patch that I covered .
Overhead House Martins numbered 10 plus in the early afternoon and 12 plus later on ,it was the same as Swallows with just 8 over early in the afternoon and then at 5.30pm a large number appeared with over 200 plus feeding over fields near the village ,some resting on the over head wires.
In the hedges although quieter there were still 2 Spotted Flycatchers and a Redstart .
As I wandered along the lanes it was great to come across 3 fine Wheatears on the fence posts beside the pastures .
In the same area 2 Whitethroats appeared on a barbed wire fence ,so at one point 3 Wheatears and the 2 Whitethroats were all the same piece of fence .
Overhead a party of 3 Raven passed south west flying low over calling. Also seen were a Green Woodpecker, a passing Grey Heron and 2 Stock Doves.
With easterlies all week it could be a good week .
Monday 1 September 2014
Get yer self a Hobby youngman !
Whats this a mid week update ? , well just a quick one really as the 83rd species of the year graced the skies above the patch in the form of a long overdue Hobby which was feeding on Dragon flies . I had only been saying to another birder today that I had not seen one on the patch this year and bazinger ! one appears as if to order.
In the short mid work break the magic hedge held 2 Redstart, Lesser Whitethroat, Willow Warbler , 3 plus Chiffchaff . 2 Green Woodpeckers and a Raven passed over /by. So the great Autumn carry s on and with Easterlies all this week the big one is on its way !
In the short mid work break the magic hedge held 2 Redstart, Lesser Whitethroat, Willow Warbler , 3 plus Chiffchaff . 2 Green Woodpeckers and a Raven passed over /by. So the great Autumn carry s on and with Easterlies all this week the big one is on its way !
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