So the first proper week and to be honest we have managed to bump up this years species a fair bit . Between Monday and Tuesday without leaving the cottage I managed to add Tawny Owl with one calling from next doors Orchard, a superb male Blackcap which was the hedge next to the bedroom window and a pair of Collared Dove which visited the garden .
I managed a brief visit to the patch on Wednesday and the real high light was the large number of winter Thrush around with large flocks of both Fieldfares with 340 plus and Redwings with 220 plus feeding on pastures .They were backed up by 15 plus Blackbird and a small number of Song Thrush.
There was also a nice flock of 30 plus Goldfinch that went over and a large flock of over 200 plus Jackdaw feeding on the top fields.
The back up cast of goodies were just 5 Skylark ,21 plus Meadow Pipit and a decent count of 9 Stock Dove .
So eager to push our species list ever forward Willow and I hit the patch at around 9am . There had been a very slight frost with the previous days wind and rain having moved on and its fair to say that there was a biting north westerly wind ,it certainly woke you up .
It was a fairly standard walk but we managed to add another 4 new species for the year ,so we are ticking along quite nicely.
Winter Thrush were still about if in lesser numbers with still 104 plus Fieldfare and 76 plus Redwing ,most were feeding on the pastures as they have demolished the local berry supply now. a single Mistle Thrush called as it passed over and the now standard number of 14 plus Blackbirds exploded from the hedges and other bits of cover.
On the pastures itself a good count of at least 40 plus Skylarks were about ,but as is the case if one species goes up the other usually drops ,and this was the case with just 6 plus Meadow pipits today. Stock Dove kept their end up so to speak with 8 over the patch today.
Overhead I managed to add a number of new species for the year with Black Headed Gull, 2 Canada Geese , and rather lonely looking Lapwing which passed over towards Ashleworth Ham .I have read there are large flocks of them just down the road ( 1800 was the latest count) ,I wish they would drop onto the patch.
The woodpecker family put on a good show with 2 Green Woodpeckers and 3 Greater Spotted seen today.
The female Bullfinch was in her usual place ,always giving herself away with her soft pewing calling, they really are such lovely birds.
On the raptor front this morning a distant soaring SparrowHawk was a first of the year for the patch. It was complimented by a female Kestrel which was hunting over one of the fields ,oddly enough I did not see a Buzzard today ,which is very unusual.
2 Jay flew over, one heading north ,its the first time they have wintered on the patch since I have been here .
The Starling flock numbered 160 plus today .
So after the 11 days the species list jumps to 44 , almost half way to my target of 90. It will of course get harder as the year moves on , gotta keep those eyes peeled.
