I was out by 7.30 am this morning to see what was passing through the patch as the slow march into Autumn continues.
The first bird heard was a Bullfinch calling , then a Greater Spotted Woodpecker flew over so all in all good early signs.
Overhead there were 40 plus House Martin ,it was good to see adults feeding juveniles on the wing , only 8 Swallows though which was disappointing. The first Yellow Wagtail for awhile flew over calling as it headed south , this was soon followed by a Yellowhammer heading in the same direction, the second bird used to be a resident here but I have not seen any for quite awhile now, local farmers please take note.
A Grey Heron passed down the river valley ,there seems to be a few around at the moment .In the hedges were 3 Whitethroat ,female Blackcap, 1 Willow Warbler , 2 Chiffchaff and a good count of 5 Spotted Flycatcher , the latter are still the local family and it is good to see that they have had a successful breeding season, especially as I seemed to have had a lot of fruitless hours looking for them this Summer.
The local Buzzards have produced 1 youngster and he is calling all the time in a vain attempt to get fed.
Around the fields were 9 Stock Dove, 2 Skylark, Green Woodpecker, Red Legged Partridge , female Kestrel, 5 plus Linnet over and the first juvenile Pied Wagtail in ages .
I t is nice to report that the blog is now on the Tirley village website, so a big welcome to our local readers and remember if you see anything and want to report or are not sure of what it is ,just ask in the comments section. Also try to not be too tidy in the gardens and fields, leave a little room for our feathered friends.
