The last week brought our species total for the patch to 52 with a cracking pair of Peregrine Falcons that were stooping at the resident flock of feral doves that inhabit one of the local barns ,fantastic to watch and a great bird to see at any time of the year.
There have been a few signs of early spring with the first Linnet seen on Tuesday for quite awhile and a number of singing Skylark over the fields. The other feature has been the number of winter Thrush that have passed through the patch ,its usual as birds filter back North and Eastwards . Its the same with Starlings and numbers have been on the rise as a result.
So Sunday was the only day we could get out and Willow and I were out by 7.30am .There had been a frost ahead of the forecasted wet weather and it felt bone chilling whilst walking about.
The first bird seen was a Jay that has been visiting the garden of late and whilst out another one was heard , perhaps they have been there all along but just gone a bit quiet of late.
The whole patch was covered in Thrush this morning with at least 150 plus Redwing and 250 plus Fieldfares , they were bouncing all over the fields and hedges .The birds are looking really dapper as they prepare to leave for the north lands. The other bird that is keeping them company is the Starling with at least 800 plus on the patch this morning.
We still appear to have our winter Blackbirds in residence with 26 plus on the patch this morning.
Overhead a few bids passed over with a decent showing of Lapwings with 137 plus seen and a/some Golden Plover were heard but I could not manage to pick them up out of the big blue. A Cormorant passed heading due East , may be a departing winter visitor ?
On the pastures themselves a few Meadow Pipits are about ,but there were only 10 birds this morning, more will pass through as the spring proceeds. Skylarks numbered 10 plus today with at least 3 singing. Stock Dove are displaying and singing with 10 seen around their usual breeding areas.
The Wagtail passage still trickles through with at least 15 pus today, but I have yet to find a White in amongst them yet. The Woodpecker family got into the act with a Greater Spotted flying over and 1 plus Green calling from around the patch.
The other two species of note that passed over ,were a Raven carrying what looked like his breakfast and a Grey Heron which was heading north .
So the species list for this year stands at 52 .
Sunday, 22 February 2015
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.
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.
Monday, 2 February 2015
50 UP !
Well the weekend past was a really cold affair with a rapier like north wind ,sleet showers ,hard frost and a general cold feel to proceedings. I was hoping the colder weather would bring something a little less usual to the feeders but no such luck. although the feeders have been heaving with all the usual suspects, its costing me a small fortune on bird food .
Saturday started with a sleet shower and then became sunny but very cold. Winter Thrush were scattered over the patch with still good numbers of Blackbirds about I counted 27 plus today along with 11 Fieldfare and 53 plus Redwing .The other Thrush species chipped in with 5 Song and just 1 Mistle Thrush today.
On the pastures themselves bird numbers were down with just 6 Meadow Pipits and a fair number of Skylark with 21 plus , perhaps the odd upturn in numbers are birds just moving around their winter territories or are they birds filtering back north ? .The odd Pied Wagtail put in an appearance and it was fair to say there were a good few Gulls passing over, especially Black Headed with over 100 plus passing north towards feeding grounds on the Cotswold etc, part of me likes to think that they maybe the first spring migrants. Other Gull species were Lesser Black Backed ,Common and Herring.
A small flock of 20 Chaffinch passed west perhaps moving because of the hard weather. Woodpeckers were represented with 2 Greater Spotted Woodpecker ,one of which was drumming and a vocal Green Woodpecker that went unseen .
On the raptor front were 4 Buzzards that seemed to like the conditions and a pair of very vocal Kestrel . So the patch continues in the mid to late winter vain at the moment and although quiet sometimes the odd surprise can occur.
Sunday was brighter although the wind was even more bone numbing !
On the bird front it was much the same as the day before although a good number of Redwing with 98 and 5 Fieldfare were on pasture next to the cottage. Having seen that I thought the patch was going to be in good form but in fact it was very quiet although the blanket of Blackbirds were still in evidence with 34 plus today ,a high count for the winter so far ! .Other winter Thrush today were 54 plus redwing, 19 plus Fieldfare and 3 Mistle Thrush. I am going to miss all these Thrush when they disappear northwards.
Again the pastures were quiet with 8 Meadow Pipits and 14 plus Skylark, maybe the birds were hunkered down against the wind . 8 Stock Dove were around breeding area with some display flying. A few Pied Wagtails passed south west in search of warmer climes perhaps. It was then the highlight of the walk took place when the 50th species popped out of a small pond when a pair of Mallard lept out in front of me , not a rare bird but the first of the year for the patch.
The best of the rest were a flock of 45 Black Headed Gulls which paused to feed amongst a flock of sheep before moving north and a Greater Spotted Woodpecker.
So with January passed we stand at 50 species and with 48 weeks to go I have to find 40 species if I am to reach my goal of 90 species for the year for the patch .Its going to be a tall order so bring on the spring or even better a few cold weather birds.
Saturday started with a sleet shower and then became sunny but very cold. Winter Thrush were scattered over the patch with still good numbers of Blackbirds about I counted 27 plus today along with 11 Fieldfare and 53 plus Redwing .The other Thrush species chipped in with 5 Song and just 1 Mistle Thrush today.
On the pastures themselves bird numbers were down with just 6 Meadow Pipits and a fair number of Skylark with 21 plus , perhaps the odd upturn in numbers are birds just moving around their winter territories or are they birds filtering back north ? .The odd Pied Wagtail put in an appearance and it was fair to say there were a good few Gulls passing over, especially Black Headed with over 100 plus passing north towards feeding grounds on the Cotswold etc, part of me likes to think that they maybe the first spring migrants. Other Gull species were Lesser Black Backed ,Common and Herring.
A small flock of 20 Chaffinch passed west perhaps moving because of the hard weather. Woodpeckers were represented with 2 Greater Spotted Woodpecker ,one of which was drumming and a vocal Green Woodpecker that went unseen .
On the raptor front were 4 Buzzards that seemed to like the conditions and a pair of very vocal Kestrel . So the patch continues in the mid to late winter vain at the moment and although quiet sometimes the odd surprise can occur.
Sunday was brighter although the wind was even more bone numbing !
On the bird front it was much the same as the day before although a good number of Redwing with 98 and 5 Fieldfare were on pasture next to the cottage. Having seen that I thought the patch was going to be in good form but in fact it was very quiet although the blanket of Blackbirds were still in evidence with 34 plus today ,a high count for the winter so far ! .Other winter Thrush today were 54 plus redwing, 19 plus Fieldfare and 3 Mistle Thrush. I am going to miss all these Thrush when they disappear northwards.
Again the pastures were quiet with 8 Meadow Pipits and 14 plus Skylark, maybe the birds were hunkered down against the wind . 8 Stock Dove were around breeding area with some display flying. A few Pied Wagtails passed south west in search of warmer climes perhaps. It was then the highlight of the walk took place when the 50th species popped out of a small pond when a pair of Mallard lept out in front of me , not a rare bird but the first of the year for the patch.
The best of the rest were a flock of 45 Black Headed Gulls which paused to feed amongst a flock of sheep before moving north and a Greater Spotted Woodpecker.
So with January passed we stand at 50 species and with 48 weeks to go I have to find 40 species if I am to reach my goal of 90 species for the year for the patch .Its going to be a tall order so bring on the spring or even better a few cold weather birds.
Wednesday, 28 January 2015
An overdue update
Sorry ,I should of done this on Sunday and time seems to have run away from me . So willow and I were out on Saturday and it was still pretty cold with a slight frost. Overall the patch was still pretty quiet and I failed to add to the species list.
Winter Thrush made up the bulk of the sightings with 27 plus Blackbird seen ,its been a great winter for this species .Redwing chipped in with 44 and Fieldfares numbered 34 . Both numbers lower than normal ,but the birds roam over the area so sometimes they will be elsewhere feeding . I could only find 1 Mistle Thrush ,but there must be more around in the vicinity.
On the pastures a healthy 8 Stock Dove fed on the pastureland and a cracking count of 44 plus Skylarks were seen including a flock of 30 overhead. That's a good count for this time of year, again I think these birds range over the area during the winter time.
There were lower numbers of Meadow Pipits today with 16 seen today .They are feeding in the top fields at the moment. Just a single Pied Wagtail kept them company.
In the hedges a superb Male Bullfinch was seen , stunning in the winter light.
The best of the rest were 2 Green Woodpecker, 2 Buzzard and 2 Jay.
Sunday at first appeared to be milder but there was a cold wind so in the end I felt colder than Saturday by the time I had finished the walk.
It was a case of more of the same really with some species in greater numbers other less so. The Thrush family were scattered over the patch today with 20 plus Blackbird, 65 plus Fieldfare ,125 plus Redwing (much higher than yesterday), 8 plus Song Thrush and 4 Mistle Thrush .
It was nice to see 11 lapwing on the patch with 10 flying straight over and 1 dropping briefly onto pasture .I love them , really great birds.
I did manage to find a new species for they ear on the patch in the form of 9 Greylag Geese which passed towards the river meadows .This takes us to 49 species for this little patch of England. What will be the 50th species this year.
A early sign of spring came in the form of a drumming Greater Spotted Woodpecker, with another 2 been seen as well, the other member of the Woodpecker family that we regularly see here chipped in with a Green Woodpecker calling in the distance.
On the pastures there were less Skylarks today only 6 seen today, but one was singing (something was in air) but on the up side a cracking count of 64 plus Meadow Pipits were in the top fields. Again there was only a single Pied Wagtail to keep them company.
On the raptor front a female Kestrel was seen being mobbed by the local Jackdaws. The Stock Dove count was down with 6 seen today.
The best of the rest were 2 Buzzard, 2 Bullfinch, and a single Jay.
Winter Thrush made up the bulk of the sightings with 27 plus Blackbird seen ,its been a great winter for this species .Redwing chipped in with 44 and Fieldfares numbered 34 . Both numbers lower than normal ,but the birds roam over the area so sometimes they will be elsewhere feeding . I could only find 1 Mistle Thrush ,but there must be more around in the vicinity.
On the pastures a healthy 8 Stock Dove fed on the pastureland and a cracking count of 44 plus Skylarks were seen including a flock of 30 overhead. That's a good count for this time of year, again I think these birds range over the area during the winter time.
There were lower numbers of Meadow Pipits today with 16 seen today .They are feeding in the top fields at the moment. Just a single Pied Wagtail kept them company.
In the hedges a superb Male Bullfinch was seen , stunning in the winter light.
The best of the rest were 2 Green Woodpecker, 2 Buzzard and 2 Jay.
Sunday at first appeared to be milder but there was a cold wind so in the end I felt colder than Saturday by the time I had finished the walk.
It was a case of more of the same really with some species in greater numbers other less so. The Thrush family were scattered over the patch today with 20 plus Blackbird, 65 plus Fieldfare ,125 plus Redwing (much higher than yesterday), 8 plus Song Thrush and 4 Mistle Thrush .
It was nice to see 11 lapwing on the patch with 10 flying straight over and 1 dropping briefly onto pasture .I love them , really great birds.
I did manage to find a new species for they ear on the patch in the form of 9 Greylag Geese which passed towards the river meadows .This takes us to 49 species for this little patch of England. What will be the 50th species this year.
A early sign of spring came in the form of a drumming Greater Spotted Woodpecker, with another 2 been seen as well, the other member of the Woodpecker family that we regularly see here chipped in with a Green Woodpecker calling in the distance.
On the pastures there were less Skylarks today only 6 seen today, but one was singing (something was in air) but on the up side a cracking count of 64 plus Meadow Pipits were in the top fields. Again there was only a single Pied Wagtail to keep them company.
On the raptor front a female Kestrel was seen being mobbed by the local Jackdaws. The Stock Dove count was down with 6 seen today.
The best of the rest were 2 Buzzard, 2 Bullfinch, and a single Jay.
Friday, 23 January 2015
Sneaky Peak
As I was going away with work on Wednesday I managed a quick sneaky peak on the patch on Wednesday morning and to be fair it turned out to be a good idea,
There was nothing new for the year but there were a fair few birds around and maybe a hint of a few birds perhaps beginning to filter northwards .
It was a fairly mild morning after a frost with some cloud warming the proceedings up a little bit .Winter Thrush were about and a good number of Redwing were on the thawing pastures with 125 plus and 26 plus Fieldfare with them. Both species of birds are at their best right now as they begin to smarten up for the breeding season in Northern Europe. Blackbirds seemed to be everywhere with 32 plus been seen ,its been a great winter for this species this year. Sometimes up to seven birds are on the lawn at the cottage feeding near the feeders. 2 Mistle Thrush and 6 Song Thrush made up the Thrush species .
Starlings were in amongst the winter Thrush and a nice count of 225 plus were seen .They will soon start to disappear back to their breeding grounds soon as well ,although we will be left with a few breeding birds for the summer.
On the pastures a good count of 13 Stock Dove fed on the rough pasture and they were kept company by 7 Skylark and a cracking count of at least 88 plus Meadow pipits , are the latter wintering birds or the start of the very earliest spring returnees ? Whatever that's a good count for this time if year.
Just a few Pied Wagtails were seen with just 3 ,they all seemed to have disappeared after a few decent numbers.
With the Bunting and Finch fest happening nearby I tried to join the party, but for all my efforts I could only manage to come up with a mixed Finch flock (first so far of the winter) which consisted of 30 plus Goldfinch ,20 plus Chaffinch and 6 Green finch .I will give it another go on Saturday morning. A couple of Bullfinch flew over with both male and female been seen, really top birds .
Overhead the first Raven for a while gronked its way over 4 Buzzards were floating about. The by now regular wintering female Kestrel cruised over ,looking for a lunch time snack.
The best of the rest were a garden Jay and a calling Green Woodpecker.
Although the garden feeders have been busy ,nothing different has been seen although good numbers of Great, Blue and Long Tailed Tits have been busy feeding on the fat balls and Sunflower and bird food .
Saturday awaits
There was nothing new for the year but there were a fair few birds around and maybe a hint of a few birds perhaps beginning to filter northwards .
It was a fairly mild morning after a frost with some cloud warming the proceedings up a little bit .Winter Thrush were about and a good number of Redwing were on the thawing pastures with 125 plus and 26 plus Fieldfare with them. Both species of birds are at their best right now as they begin to smarten up for the breeding season in Northern Europe. Blackbirds seemed to be everywhere with 32 plus been seen ,its been a great winter for this species this year. Sometimes up to seven birds are on the lawn at the cottage feeding near the feeders. 2 Mistle Thrush and 6 Song Thrush made up the Thrush species .
Starlings were in amongst the winter Thrush and a nice count of 225 plus were seen .They will soon start to disappear back to their breeding grounds soon as well ,although we will be left with a few breeding birds for the summer.
On the pastures a good count of 13 Stock Dove fed on the rough pasture and they were kept company by 7 Skylark and a cracking count of at least 88 plus Meadow pipits , are the latter wintering birds or the start of the very earliest spring returnees ? Whatever that's a good count for this time if year.
Just a few Pied Wagtails were seen with just 3 ,they all seemed to have disappeared after a few decent numbers.
With the Bunting and Finch fest happening nearby I tried to join the party, but for all my efforts I could only manage to come up with a mixed Finch flock (first so far of the winter) which consisted of 30 plus Goldfinch ,20 plus Chaffinch and 6 Green finch .I will give it another go on Saturday morning. A couple of Bullfinch flew over with both male and female been seen, really top birds .
Overhead the first Raven for a while gronked its way over 4 Buzzards were floating about. The by now regular wintering female Kestrel cruised over ,looking for a lunch time snack.
The best of the rest were a garden Jay and a calling Green Woodpecker.
Although the garden feeders have been busy ,nothing different has been seen although good numbers of Great, Blue and Long Tailed Tits have been busy feeding on the fat balls and Sunflower and bird food .
Saturday awaits
Sunday, 18 January 2015
The week that was
Well winter sort of arrived the last week ,with frosts , cold winds and even a light dusting of snow on Tuesday. In the brief visits in the week I managed to see another 3 new species for the patch in the form of Pied wagtail , a flyover Grey Heron which was heading towards the river meadows. The 3rd species however was quite a good bird for the patch and only the third record for hereabouts. It came in the form of a Little Egret that passed over southwards in between some fairly heavy hail and snow showers .
After a rather pleasant and easy visit to Ashleworth Ham on Saturday afternoon where there were birds aplenty and having heard of a Finch fest on a fellow birders neighbouring patch (Hartpury Orchard Centre blog ,where Steve French is really beginning to see this young patch really starting to blossom ) which included flocks of 80 plus Yellowhammers and Reed Buntings I was really keen to see if the colder weather had brought anything different to my little piece of no where .
So with that in mind Willow and I were out at first light , it got off to a good with 7 Blackbird s feeding on the front lawn of the cottage but in the end we ended up with the usual count of 19 plus .
Other winter Thrush on the patch were 7 Song Thrush , 2 Mistle Thrush a lower count of 25 plus Redwing and a nice count of 146 plus Fieldfares. In amongst the Thrush were around 300 plus Starlings many will have come from the same areas of Russia and Scandanavia to spend the winter with their Thrush neighbours .
The pastures were quite frozen and as a result I could only find 5 Meadow Pipits this morning .After a quite start however 13 plus Skylarks made themselves noticed . Whilst on the pastures species 48 for the year leapt up in the form of 4 Red Legged Partridge. It was also nice to see a small flock of 20 Gulls on the sheep pastures ,even with just 20 birds there were 3 species with Herring, Common and Lesser Black Backed all feeding together.
In the hedges my only contribution to the Finch fest was a small flock of 5 Greenfinch, pathetic really . But that aside a Bullfinch was heard thereby keeping my Bullfinch fan smiling . There are still Jays wintering with us and one was seen flying over a hedgerow , its been nice to report that one has been in the cottage garden recently .
The good run on Stock Doves keeps going with 10 plus today ,and some were even starting to display , a very early sign of Spring.
It was not only Stock Doves that feel the upcoming Spring, a Greater Spotted Woodpecker was drumming this morning .I have the feeling they are being a tad optimistic just yet .The other member of the woodpecker family we see here was in fine voice with 2 Green Woodpeckers yaffling , its a great call to hear ,its really reminds me of this area. Even the local Football club has this bird on their badge.
The only other birds of note were 3 Buzzard and a flyover Cormorant which was heading westwards.
So the species count for the patch this year so far now stands at 48.
If the birding gods are listening and would like to get the new year off to a belting start and therefore would like to deal a winter special please "Give it to me now " .
Heres hoping
After a rather pleasant and easy visit to Ashleworth Ham on Saturday afternoon where there were birds aplenty and having heard of a Finch fest on a fellow birders neighbouring patch (Hartpury Orchard Centre blog ,where Steve French is really beginning to see this young patch really starting to blossom ) which included flocks of 80 plus Yellowhammers and Reed Buntings I was really keen to see if the colder weather had brought anything different to my little piece of no where .
So with that in mind Willow and I were out at first light , it got off to a good with 7 Blackbird s feeding on the front lawn of the cottage but in the end we ended up with the usual count of 19 plus .
Other winter Thrush on the patch were 7 Song Thrush , 2 Mistle Thrush a lower count of 25 plus Redwing and a nice count of 146 plus Fieldfares. In amongst the Thrush were around 300 plus Starlings many will have come from the same areas of Russia and Scandanavia to spend the winter with their Thrush neighbours .
The pastures were quite frozen and as a result I could only find 5 Meadow Pipits this morning .After a quite start however 13 plus Skylarks made themselves noticed . Whilst on the pastures species 48 for the year leapt up in the form of 4 Red Legged Partridge. It was also nice to see a small flock of 20 Gulls on the sheep pastures ,even with just 20 birds there were 3 species with Herring, Common and Lesser Black Backed all feeding together.
In the hedges my only contribution to the Finch fest was a small flock of 5 Greenfinch, pathetic really . But that aside a Bullfinch was heard thereby keeping my Bullfinch fan smiling . There are still Jays wintering with us and one was seen flying over a hedgerow , its been nice to report that one has been in the cottage garden recently .
The good run on Stock Doves keeps going with 10 plus today ,and some were even starting to display , a very early sign of Spring.
It was not only Stock Doves that feel the upcoming Spring, a Greater Spotted Woodpecker was drumming this morning .I have the feeling they are being a tad optimistic just yet .The other member of the woodpecker family we see here was in fine voice with 2 Green Woodpeckers yaffling , its a great call to hear ,its really reminds me of this area. Even the local Football club has this bird on their badge.
The only other birds of note were 3 Buzzard and a flyover Cormorant which was heading westwards.
So the species count for the patch this year so far now stands at 48.
If the birding gods are listening and would like to get the new year off to a belting start and therefore would like to deal a winter special please "Give it to me now " .
Heres hoping
Sunday, 11 January 2015
The first proper week
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.
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.
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