Boooooooooooom !

I have a right to be pumped this afternoon , I went out at around 3.45pm for a quick jaunt up the road, I scanned fields for Wheatears without any luck , a couple of Swallows were seen ,one seems to be a local bird perching on wires near a breeding sight ,but in truth not a lot else ,Chiffchaffs  and Blackcaps were singing but that was about it, I made a quick scan up and down the river valley as I usually do and boooom there was an OSPREY  drifting upriver one hell of a way to bring the 64 th species of the year to the patch ,it is also a patch tick .You just never know what will turn up here .

Just Ticking

I had high hopes for the weekend but in the end both walks on Saturday and Sunday seemed to be a bit of a let down given the time of year .
Spring migrants are arriving but very slowly , with Chiffchaffs slowly building up numbers with 5 on Saturday and then 7 on Sunday , a similar story been seen with Blackcaps with 3 on Saturday ,then 5 on Sunday .I could not find any other warblers yet ,but they cannot be far behind.
 On the pastureland Skylarks were in good voice with 8 plus singing on Sunday, but on Saturday only 2 been seen . Our flock of Meadow Pipits have departed so it was nice to see a flyover bird heading north ,then a small  party of 3 on a ploughed field on Sunday, spring migrants passing through no doubt.
The ever present and ever calling but invisible Green Woodpecker was present , calling from the distance .
There was a influx of Stock Dove on Sunday with 11 ,but birds seem to be local with most of them being near suitable breeding areas.
On the raptor front ,a female Kestrel drifted across the patch on Saturday ,and the local pair of Buzzards were near their usual nesting area.
On Sunday 2 Raven passed over low calling heading north , great birds and a joy to them on such a regular basis over the local area nowadays.
A pair of Yellowhammer on the northern edge of the patch gives me hope they may try to breed nearby, its really sad that once such a common bird is in so much trouble thanks to our farming practices nowadays.
The best of the rest were 2 Pied Wagtails and 2 flyover Greylag Geese.
 The local birds are getting on with the job of setting up home and or breeding .One of the first birds I saw this morning was a female Blackbird carrying food , you would find it hard to believe that they may have young already. I also saw a Jackdaw taking fur off the back of rather unconcerned cow and Great and Blue Tits taking nesting material from some bulrushes from around a small pond  so despite the lack of migrants this weekend for some Spring time has arrived .
In the garden our Blue Tits are still looking like they will use the nest box  ,and we are still getting visits from the local Robins. For my Bullfinch fan ,sorry I came up with a big blank again today.
  

Red Friday

Yes , a very quick update on a weekday ,whatever next ? . Normally I would wait till the weekend to fill in the midweek gaps but the bird we all wait for  started to show itself for the summer with the first sighting of a Swallow on Wednesday ,that is the earliest record for the patch by a number of days and lo and behold it was followed by another one on Thursday .Both birds passed through heading north ,and both  did not linger for long.
Chiffchaff numbers continue to build although still in low numbers and Blackcaps are dotted about but are yet to arrive in force.
Friday was a good day with numbers of Common Gulls heading high north east , in excitable flocks calling to each other as they passed over ,that in itself was a great sight, sometimes it is good to revel in the ordinary .
I then received a phone call and whilst leaning against an iron gate chatting away as you do my attention was drawn to a bird that appeared over the tree line , it was obvious that the bird was a Red Kite ,it passed low over heading north .We usually get April /May records of these birds ,perhaps they are migrants that have wintered else where and are on their way back to breeding areas .
 The species number for the patch jumps to 63 for the year so far .I looked for some signs of Bullfinches on the way back to the cottage for my Bullfinch fan but again I lucked out .
I am going to get out really early tomorrow as I have a full day ahead and want to cover the patch early before my day starts .Lets see what turns up tomorrow .

Spring is springing

After a week away working in Holland and a overnight stop in Folkstone  it was a week since I had been on the patch .So after Willow waking me up I was out the door at 7am ,which as the clocks went forward an hour was actually 6am.
The weather was perfect with the sun rising over the mist covered river meadows and the first bird I heard was a singing Blackcap ,a first for the year on the patch and obviously just in from his winter holidays around the Med .
Chiffchaff are arriving and on the patch today were 3 singing males ,earlier than last year as I remember .  I scanned the skies for a Swallow or a Sand Martin but no luck but with the winds from the south they cannot be far away and the latter have been seen nearby .
The number of drumming Greater Spotted Woodpeckers today was a healthy 4 , also a Green Woodpecker called.
Over the river meadows a Curlew called from the mist leaden river meadows ,very evocative .
On the pastures a few Meadow Pipits passed over 7/8 some straight over due north. The same can be said of the trickle of Finches as they passed over with small parties of Linnets and Goldfinches hurrying north.
A nice surprise was a pair of Shelduck heading in the same direction , the second pair this spring. Overhead the sky was full of song as Skylarks claimed there breeding territory , all of the wintering birds having now seemingly left ,I counted at least 9 birds this morning .
 The bird of the day however was a superb male Wheatear feeding on sheep pasture ,a great bird, I always marvel at these global travellers , where will he end up ,North Wales, Scotland ,Iceland, Siberia ? he just was"nt big enough to be a Greenland bird . In the field next to the Wheatear sat 2 fine Brown Hare , Willow was ushered  the other way.
The best of the rest were Red Legged Partridge , 6 plus Stock Dove, Mistle Thrush.
On the garden front the pair of Blue Tits are nest building but the Robins seem to be absent . For my Bullfinch fan I am afraid there was no sight or sound today despite me going to the places they usually are, better luck next time I hope.   

Slow Transition

As the title suggests the seasons are changing although today it felt colder than any other day of the winter.
Over the week there were a few high lights, with a flock of 25 Fieldfare heading east , and a steady through put of Meadow Pipits with numbers fluctuating on a daily basis as they pass there way north .
So Willow and I were out at 6.30 am and it was a clear sunlit morning although the wind was cold and a few squally showers passed over during the walk.
After a few days of not hearing any Chiffchaffs (last Saturdays bird had moved on ), it was pleasing to hear 2 birds this morning.
A Buzzard flapped lazily overhead and a Moorhen called from a small pond ,it remained unseen though .
On pasture Skylarks had decreased to 6 most birds in pairs now, they will attempt to breed but few if any will succeed thanks to our lovely local farmer ,he is about as sensitive to nature as a nuclear bomb.
Meadow Pipits were again to the fore with 29 been seen ,the largest flock being 15, one and twos passed over heading due north. .There was also a slight upturn in Linnet Numbers with 15 plus been seen including a flock of 12 no doubt migrants.
A calling Curlew from the river meadows was a lovely sound ,it reminds me of much wilder places that I have been .
On the raptor front apart from the Buzzard there were 2 Sparrow hawk this morning with both male and female hunting the hedgerows. A Raven was seen perching on a dead tree ,they often just seem to be passing over so it was nice to see one on the deck, they really are big birds.
The usual Green Woodpecker called in the distance ,but I never seem to see it ,also an unseen Greater Spotted Woodpecker called.
The best of the rest were a Red Legged Partridge and 6 plus Stock Dove. So on the whole pretty quiet really and with me working away this week  I feel I may miss the first arrival of some species .
In the garden our pair of Blue Tits look as if they are going to use the nest box this year  .It was also good to see a pair of Robins looking as if they are prospecting a nest sight within the garden ,a reader remarked how much they liked Robins and I am guilty of overlooking them ,so when you read this I will try to rectify that and let you know how they are doing on a regular basis .

Sunday hat trick

The most perfect Sunday morning, bright sun, gentle breeze. So I was out with Willow at 7am, wandering up the hedgerow in the hope of finding the first summer migrant.
The first sign that spring has arrived for definite was a calling Curlew from the river meadows ,a first for the year ,I hear them as they arrive back on their breeding areas .A few pairs manage to hang on along the river.
Skylarks had decreased to 8, no doubt some birds had taken advantage of the clear night to migrate ,likewise the Meadow Pipits were at 24 plus, some perched on the wire fences maybe taking a break before moving on.
A small flock of birds caught my attention and at first they seemed to be all Linnets ,but one bird caught my attention and low and behold a fine female Reed Bunting showed herself, another year tick.
A Raven passed over eastwards and a pair of Shelduck zoomed over heading due north ,this was turning out to a good morning.
A small flock of 20 plus Lesser Black Backed Gulls fed on a sheep pasture , the rest of the vast numbers of Gulls we have being seeing have moved on.
Winter Thrush"s numbered 50 plus Fieldfare and just 7 Redwing today again most having moved on in the clear night.
As I got close to the cottage thinking why had I not managed to find at least one summer migrant a Chiffchaff burst into song ,another year tick and evidence that birds are arriving and departing as spring migration picks up.
Its gonna heat up over the next few weeks .
The patch list now stands at 59

Fieldfares on the march !

Here we are again and another weekend is here, so a quick update on the mid weeks high lights , well on that score not much to report although early spring passage is more and more evident. Wednesday I was out in the early afternoon , and it was evident that Pied Wagtails were passing through with a flock of 25 feeding on a manured field, also with them were 5 Meadow Pipits.
2  Raven gronked there way over heading north and a Green Woodpecker was calling somewhere in the distance.
A large flock of 160 plus Fieldfare passed over ,also 20 plus Redwing and a solitary Mistle Thrush was noted.
A Buzzard and 6 Stock Dove made onto the day list.
So Saturday dawned a warm perfect spring morning, today must be the day when we would record our first Summer migrant surely , but it was not to be ,that been said birds were on the move .
Meadow Pipits numbered 17 plus ,with them scattered about in ones and twos ,the largest flock was of 8 . Skylarks were to the fore today with 16 plus on the patch with a good few in song. On the down side only 5 plus Pied Wagtails today ,I cannot find any White Wagtails in amongst them as yet.
On the Woodpecker front we recorded a calling Green and a drumming Greater Spotted this morning.
It seemed perverse on such a perfect spring morning that winter Thrush"s dominated the scene with a massive 550 plus Fieldfare passing over ,some flocks heading north,  others to the east ,next stop Scandanavia .Redwing numbered just 8 plus today ,and a couple of Mistle Thrush passed over with one heading north at great height.
For the raptor fans 3 Buzzards were up once it got warm enough and another Sparrow hawk passed north ,was it another migrant ? The romantic in me would like to think so.
I was pleased to see a pair of Yellowhammer on the north edge of the patch ,the male giving its song atop a gatepost.

The best of the rest were 9 Stock Dove and 5 Red legged Partridge. Lets see if we can find our first summer migrant tomorrow .