Sunday 15 February 2015

Back on the patch

Getting back on the patch was on the agenda having been in Holland for the last week with work. I was so busy so no time for any birding but just driving I saw Great White Egret, White Stork ,thousands of Duck , Lapwing , Shelducks and loads more great birds.
So I was hopeful of finding the bird that would get us into the fifties and Willow and I were out by 8.30 ish. The first thing I noted was that it was a lot milder and there was plenty of bird song from the resident species in particular Song Thrush with up to 8 singing around the patch .
Winter Thrush were still on the patch with 43 plus Redwing and a healthy 56 plus Fieldfare ,some birds looked as if they were heading a north easterly direction and we can expect an upsurge in numbers as birds pass through as they head north to their breeding grounds . The other Thrush species were 2 high flying Mistle thrush heading north east and we are still we are covered in a blanket of Blackbirds with 31 plus seen on Saturday.
A sure sign of early spring was a flock of 16 Pied Wagtail which fed in a recently harvested fodder beet field, around 12 Meadow Pipits kept them company .In the top fields  a recently arrived flock of 50 plus Meadow Pipits fed. So in the end a good count of 63 plus birds were seen . A scattering of 17 Skylarks were on various fields and a couple are now singing. Starlings seem to be building up in numbers as they prepare to leave for the summer months, I counted around 150 plus today.
As I turned for home a flock of birds caught my eye and there was number 51 for the year on the patch , a fantastic flock of 61 plus Golden Plover moved over in a North Easterly  direction. A good bird to see on the patch and a real special bird for me as they represent the wild north lands.
Overhead a flock of 8 Greylag Geese headed for the river meadows and a male Kestrel flew over calling as it went.
On the pastures Stock Doves were represented with 6 birds seen around their breeding areas. In the hedges apart from the usual resident birds 3 superb Bullfinch were seen .
Woodpeckers were represented with 3 Greater Spotted Woodpeckers ,the first 2 been seen in the cottage garden and 2 Green Woodpeckers called from around the area.
The other bird of note were 3 Buzzards .
  Sunday was a tad colder but as far as the birds were concerned it was more of the same but with exception that winter Thrush were blanketing the patch with good counts of 177 plus Fieldfare and 202 Redwings , its usual that we see good counts at this time of year as birds pass through . Other Thrush were 26 plus Blackbird , 2 Mistle Thrush and a good count of 9 Song Thrush .
Around the fields 10 Stock Dove were seen and a small count of just 5 Meadow Pipits were about the rest having moved through . Skylarks were also down in numbers with 9  over the fields .
The small flock of 12 Pied wagtails still fed in the same area .
Overhead a soaring Grey Heron put in an appearance and 150 plus Starling passed over in a general Northerly direction .
 Raptors were represented by 2 Buzzards and a female Kestrel .
 So we now have a total of 51 species for the patch for the year so far.