With the Holidays about to start, it was the right thing to do and get out on that patch. It was mild, and windy with some rather unpleasant sheets of drizzle passing over. The patch has been quiet of late but today it perked up with some good numbers of the winter visitors we see around at this time of year.
The main birds once again on the patch were the winter Thrush s with a good count of 280 plus Fieldfare along with 70 plus Redwing and another good number of Blackbirds with at least 25 plus been seen .There were also 3 Mistle Thrush and at least 7 Song Thrush.
In the tops fields there were at least 25 plus Meadow Pipits and a healthy 20 plus Pied wagtails feeding on a stubble field. It was good to see a small flock of 15 plus Chaffinch. In the field margins 3 Red Legged Partridges lurked. .There were a suprising number of Stock Doves about with 30 plus today far more than usual .Skylarks chipped in with 15 plus today.
There are not as many Starlings this winter so a count of 150 plus was nice to see.
The hedges are quiet at this time of year ,and I found a good count of 4 Bullfinch today . Robins are back to the normal numbers. I am going to just mention a nice small flock of 6 Common Gull on pasture ,great birds which are often over looked .They are very demure birds ,a real northern bird and nice to see down here in the winter.
Overhead a Raven passed eastwards and a Green Woodpecker called .
Christmas dawned colder , so just a tad more seasonal .The first birds I saw were 2 Greater Spotted Woodpeckers which flew low over to the south .
As I walked the magic hedgerow a small bird came into view and it was nice to be able to report a cracking little Goldcrest , a great little bird to see on the patch at this time of year. The first Linnets were seen for awhile with a couple in the hedges.
Winter Thrush s were still around but in much smaller numbers than yesterday. All I could manage were 15 plus Fieldfare, 12 plus Redwing ,4 Mistle Thrush and still a healthy 16 plus Blackbirds .There were at least 7 Song Thrush present.
In the hedges today of note were 8 Long Tailed Tits and a female Bullfinch .
On the pastures today were 20 plus Meadow Pipits , along with 12 plus Skylark and just 6 Pied Wagtails .A couple of Red Legged Partridges hot footed over the fields when they saw me coming towards them .
The best of the rest were a Buzzard, 2 Green Woodpecker ,a Jay and just 6 Stock Dove today .
Any way thanks for reading this drivel and as we enter the last week lets hope for a Christmas Big one .
