Time pressure has made it hard to visit the patch as much as I would of wanted this week ,but the high light of the week has been the 1 or 2 Cuckoo s that have been calling on the patch this last week.
Saturday was a lovely morning and you got the feeling that the spring migration was over with young birds been seen fed by their parents around the patch.
Bird song is much less than it was only a few short weeks ago , birds now concentrate on breeding and raising young.
In the hedges I managed to find 2 Blackcap , 5 Chiffchaff and 7 Whitethroat , its been a really good year for the latter with some cracking ones been seen on the patch .
Overhead it was a better day for Swallows with 25 plus about, their numbers boosted by good numbers of juveniles ,6 plus House Martins kept them company .
On the pastures were 6 plus Skylark and a Red Legged Partridge . Just 2 Stock Dove put in an appearance today .
The best birds today were 2 Little Owls that called to each other ,they must be having trouble sleeping at the moment .
Some of the grass has been cut in the fields for silage and on the short grass it was nice to see a flock of 38 Starling , 35 were juveniles so they seem to be having a good breeding season locally.
For the raptor fans there were just 3 Buzzard today , but a female Kestrel was hunting on the patch today.
The thing about patch birding is you never know what may turn up and where ,so as I was about to go into the cottage I was alerted by a bird song that I had not heard around the cottage before , I scanned the trees and found my quarry a male Goldcrest singing , a bird that I have not seen on the patch in mid summer before, was this bird a late Spring or early Autumn migrant .Whatever it was ,it was a good bird to see at this time of year .
For my Bullfinch fan I failed to find any today ,they seem to have gone a bit quiet of late
Sunday, 15 June 2014
Sunday, 8 June 2014
Summer Doldrums
Well another week has flown by and it will soon be time for failed breeders and early migrants to start appearing on the patch and yes I know its only June ,but for next couple of weeks a few northbound stragglers may appear and the local birds will have youngsters with them .
The high lights from midweek were 2 Cuckoos on the patch together ,the second record of a Little Egret on the patch ,the first being only last week and a nearby Red Kite although it was just north of the patch it was still nice to see .
After large amounts of rain overnight Saturday dawned grey but very humid . It looked like November but felt like a humid August day .
On the pastures Skylarks were in good voice with at least 8 plus in good voice, it feels like a good season for them this year. Just a single Stock Dove and a solitary Pied Wagtail fed on the field margins.
Overhead there were 14 plus House Martins around the local colony and 13 Swallows kept them company. The conditions seemed ideal for Buzzards today with at least 7 soaring overhead ,its easy to forget how much rarer they were just 30 years ago . A Raven flew towards Tirley Hill and a Grey Heron flew towards the river.
In the hedges 2 Blackcap 5 Whitethroat and just 2 Chiffchaff were seen , the amount of bird song is decreasing now as birds concentrate on raising their young. There was a brief view of a flyover Spotted Flycatcher , there are harder to see this year without a doubt .
Its nice to report that one of the Moorhen families have at least 4 young .The Greater Spotted Woodpecker nest in next doors garden is still very active .The Green Woodpecker called from some hidden location.
Sunday was bright, warm and with a good dose of sunshine. Skylarks were still singing with 5 plus today , but a healthy 7 Stock Dove were around nesting areas . A good record for the summer were 2 Mistle Thrush ,not a bird I usually see in the summer around here normally.
A good number of Pied Wagtails were seen with 7 around ,some juveniles amongst them . A Cuckoo called from the direction of the river meadows.
In the hedges were a very healthy 9 plus Whitethroat ,6 plus Blackcap and 3 Chiffchaff, its been hard to find anything different in the hedges for awhile now.
Overhead there were 5 plus House Martin, with 5 plus Swallow all local birds by the look of them For the raptor fans again 6 plus Buzzards were overhead .A Sparrow hawk passed by being mobbed by a couple of Swallow and a male Kestrel was seen to take a small rodent .
The first Cormorants for awhile were seen when 3 passed over heading south west towards the estuary.
Woodpeckers were still about with the Green Woodpecker calling and the Greater Spotted still being seen carrying food towards the nest sight
The high lights from midweek were 2 Cuckoos on the patch together ,the second record of a Little Egret on the patch ,the first being only last week and a nearby Red Kite although it was just north of the patch it was still nice to see .
After large amounts of rain overnight Saturday dawned grey but very humid . It looked like November but felt like a humid August day .
On the pastures Skylarks were in good voice with at least 8 plus in good voice, it feels like a good season for them this year. Just a single Stock Dove and a solitary Pied Wagtail fed on the field margins.
Overhead there were 14 plus House Martins around the local colony and 13 Swallows kept them company. The conditions seemed ideal for Buzzards today with at least 7 soaring overhead ,its easy to forget how much rarer they were just 30 years ago . A Raven flew towards Tirley Hill and a Grey Heron flew towards the river.
In the hedges 2 Blackcap 5 Whitethroat and just 2 Chiffchaff were seen , the amount of bird song is decreasing now as birds concentrate on raising their young. There was a brief view of a flyover Spotted Flycatcher , there are harder to see this year without a doubt .
Its nice to report that one of the Moorhen families have at least 4 young .The Greater Spotted Woodpecker nest in next doors garden is still very active .The Green Woodpecker called from some hidden location.
Sunday was bright, warm and with a good dose of sunshine. Skylarks were still singing with 5 plus today , but a healthy 7 Stock Dove were around nesting areas . A good record for the summer were 2 Mistle Thrush ,not a bird I usually see in the summer around here normally.
A good number of Pied Wagtails were seen with 7 around ,some juveniles amongst them . A Cuckoo called from the direction of the river meadows.
In the hedges were a very healthy 9 plus Whitethroat ,6 plus Blackcap and 3 Chiffchaff, its been hard to find anything different in the hedges for awhile now.
Overhead there were 5 plus House Martin, with 5 plus Swallow all local birds by the look of them For the raptor fans again 6 plus Buzzards were overhead .A Sparrow hawk passed by being mobbed by a couple of Swallow and a male Kestrel was seen to take a small rodent .
The first Cormorants for awhile were seen when 3 passed over heading south west towards the estuary.
Woodpeckers were still about with the Green Woodpecker calling and the Greater Spotted still being seen carrying food towards the nest sight
Sunday, 1 June 2014
The Killing Fields
A dramatic title to todays update where we try to let you know what is going on the patch, well today was without doubt the worse day I have had in the twelve years since I have watched this tiny patch of nowhere .I will come to what birds I saw in a while but today I was confronted with 2 guys armed with shotguns who were helping to "control " corvids ie Jackdaw ,Rook ,Crow, Magpie and Woodpigeon .Whether you agree or disagree with this I cannot get my head round the fact that these arseholes were hiding in a hedgerow on a public footpath with plastic lures to encourage birds in then taking pot shots at them ,I saw at least one Jackdaw that had one leg and half a wing blown off but which still kept flying. I stood overlooking the field until unnerved by my present one of these young Rambo "s confronted me and asked what I was doing ? "watching you kill birds and injuring birds that you have no hope of making a clean kill ' ,his reply "well that happens "what a utter twat ! . There then followed a heated exchange which I will not bore you all with , I just cannot get my head around killing for fun ,he was proud to tell me that they had killed 17 birds that morning ,in the breeding season as well and how many birds had they winged ? .
The actual bird life on the patch was quiet. In the hedges were 3 Chiffchaff, 6 Whitethroats ( great little things ,I love them ), 4 Blackcap .
Overhead were a House Martin ,4 plus Swallow 4 Buzzards and 3 Grey Herons soaring together ( at first glance there was a heart stopping moment with me thinking that they were something else).
On the pastures were 5 Stock Dove, 7 Skylark and a flyover Pied Wagtail ,the high light being an unseen calling Yellow Wagtail.
Woodpeckers were represented by a Greater Spotted Woodpecker that is nesting in next doors orchard and a calling Green Woodpecker .
So a crap walk ruined by a couple of idiots , lets hope a crow shits on their heads .
The actual bird life on the patch was quiet. In the hedges were 3 Chiffchaff, 6 Whitethroats ( great little things ,I love them ), 4 Blackcap .
Overhead were a House Martin ,4 plus Swallow 4 Buzzards and 3 Grey Herons soaring together ( at first glance there was a heart stopping moment with me thinking that they were something else).
On the pastures were 5 Stock Dove, 7 Skylark and a flyover Pied Wagtail ,the high light being an unseen calling Yellow Wagtail.
Woodpeckers were represented by a Greater Spotted Woodpecker that is nesting in next doors orchard and a calling Green Woodpecker .
So a crap walk ruined by a couple of idiots , lets hope a crow shits on their heads .
Saturday, 31 May 2014
Insomniac Owl
I had a quick walk on Friday and managed to hear a Little Owl calling from an Oak tree at 2.20pm which was a nice record as was a garden Spotted Flycatcher which was feeding from on top one of the silver birch trees in the garden .A distant Grey Heron was the only other bird of interest in amongst the usual suspects.
Saturday dawned grey but dry and very mild .Willow and I made our way up to the patch and found in the hedges 4 Chiffchaff, 7 Whitethroat, and 4 Blackcap but apart from that very little else.
A distant Cuckoo called from the river meadows and 9 plus Swallow and 6 House Martin hawked overhead. As I walked in the vicinity of where I had seen the Yellow Wagtails ( no luck) my attention was drawn to a fence post and I was surprised to see a Little Owl sitting out in the open ,it was right next to the oak tree where I had heard one from yesterday afternoon so I guess he or she is having trouble sleeping . Nice to see though .
On the pastures 3 Pied Wagtails fed or passed over and just 3 Stock Dove were seen today. It was great to see a Fox trot across the fields , it looked in really good condition .
Overhead a patch tick and a year tick for the patch itself was seen when a Little Egret flew north at 8.50am, these birds are seen all the time locally but it is the first time on the patch itself one has been seen in the 12 years I have lived here.
A flock of 8 Greylag Geese (feral ) passed over then low and behold 2 Barnacle Geese (feral ) followed on ,another patch tick for the year ,although I have a few reservations on including plastic geese on the year list .
In the garden somehow the Blue Tits would of appeared to have managed to have fledged at least 3 young birds ,a miracle considering the nest box was on the ground at least 3 times .I have put a open fronted nest box up and although very late you never know ,it would be great if I could tempt the Flycatchers
In conversation with one of the local farmers tells me that Tawny Owls have young in one of the oaks on the on the patch, a nice confirmation of breeding on the patch
The patch list ticks on to 77
Saturday dawned grey but dry and very mild .Willow and I made our way up to the patch and found in the hedges 4 Chiffchaff, 7 Whitethroat, and 4 Blackcap but apart from that very little else.
A distant Cuckoo called from the river meadows and 9 plus Swallow and 6 House Martin hawked overhead. As I walked in the vicinity of where I had seen the Yellow Wagtails ( no luck) my attention was drawn to a fence post and I was surprised to see a Little Owl sitting out in the open ,it was right next to the oak tree where I had heard one from yesterday afternoon so I guess he or she is having trouble sleeping . Nice to see though .
On the pastures 3 Pied Wagtails fed or passed over and just 3 Stock Dove were seen today. It was great to see a Fox trot across the fields , it looked in really good condition .
Overhead a patch tick and a year tick for the patch itself was seen when a Little Egret flew north at 8.50am, these birds are seen all the time locally but it is the first time on the patch itself one has been seen in the 12 years I have lived here.
A flock of 8 Greylag Geese (feral ) passed over then low and behold 2 Barnacle Geese (feral ) followed on ,another patch tick for the year ,although I have a few reservations on including plastic geese on the year list .
In the garden somehow the Blue Tits would of appeared to have managed to have fledged at least 3 young birds ,a miracle considering the nest box was on the ground at least 3 times .I have put a open fronted nest box up and although very late you never know ,it would be great if I could tempt the Flycatchers
In conversation with one of the local farmers tells me that Tawny Owls have young in one of the oaks on the on the patch, a nice confirmation of breeding on the patch
The patch list ticks on to 77
Thursday, 29 May 2014
Drizzlekicks
Yes I ma down with the kids ,but that was the weather that greeted Willow and I as we ventured out this morning .It was a holiday in Holland today so it was a perfect time to visit the patch on a week day .As I stepped out the door I heard a Great Spotted Woodpecker calling , a good start but it was about to get a lot better when a Spotted Flycatcher alighted on a wire above my head. So the stars of the patch are here ,after weeks of worrying and wondering they are back, the stars of the patch for me ,they must be nesting elsewhere this year so I will try to track them down .
In the hedges despite the drizzle I managed to find 4 Chiffchaff, 7 Blackcap, 7 Whitethroat ( its been a great year for them so far ,it just seems to keep getting better ), and a calling Cuckoo.
On the pastures a Red Legged Partridge called hidden somewhere , 8 plus Skylarks did their best that it was actually spring time and 3 Pied Wagtails fed or passed over .
Overhead in front of the advancing drizzle a nice flock of 37 plus Swift passed over ,but only 4 Swallow were seen today. A Raven mugged one of the passing Buzzards ( there were 2 today), and a Stock Dove whizzed by .
The patch list moves to 75
In the hedges despite the drizzle I managed to find 4 Chiffchaff, 7 Blackcap, 7 Whitethroat ( its been a great year for them so far ,it just seems to keep getting better ), and a calling Cuckoo.
On the pastures a Red Legged Partridge called hidden somewhere , 8 plus Skylarks did their best that it was actually spring time and 3 Pied Wagtails fed or passed over .
Overhead in front of the advancing drizzle a nice flock of 37 plus Swift passed over ,but only 4 Swallow were seen today. A Raven mugged one of the passing Buzzards ( there were 2 today), and a Stock Dove whizzed by .
The patch list moves to 75
Sunday, 25 May 2014
Mellow Yellow
After Saturdays incessant rain, Sunday dawned bright and breezy .So Willow and I hit the patch at around 8.30am , a bit later than the norm.
As it was windy it was never going to be easy going but we still managed to find the usual 6 Blackcap , lesser numbers of Chiffchaff but a healthy 7 singing Whitethroats .
It was nice to see a Greater Spotted Woodpecker the first for a few days , they seem to be a bit down in numbers this year.
In the windy conditions attention was given to what was going on overhead. 2 or 3 Buzzards were floating overhead , good conditions for them I feel. There was a nice selection of 12 plus Swallow along with 8 plus House Martins and 5 plus Swift feeding over and around the hedges .
An unusual sighting was a Lapwing that headed north , was it a late migrant or a local breeding bird from the local reserves. 2 Greylags also passed over heading towards Worcestershire.
As I was on the return leg the sound of 2 Bullfinches alerted me to their presence within the hedgerow. We are having a good run on them at the moment.
Over the pastures 6 plus Skylark were in good voice and 7 Stock Dove were seen . As Willow and I made our way across a field with fairly long grass in it a bird darted up in front of us and landed on a large dung heap, the sight of a fine male Yellow Wagtail greeted my eyes , but it got better when a female landed along side her boyfriend .They are in the vicinity of where they bred last year so fingers crossed.
In the garden the nest box has almost fallen to bits so I decided to take it down but I was taken aback to find 4 Blue Tit chicks almost fledged inside if they survive it will a miracle , also seen was a juvenile Robin in the garden.
So if I can just find some Spotted Flycatchers things will feel a whole lot better .
As it was windy it was never going to be easy going but we still managed to find the usual 6 Blackcap , lesser numbers of Chiffchaff but a healthy 7 singing Whitethroats .
It was nice to see a Greater Spotted Woodpecker the first for a few days , they seem to be a bit down in numbers this year.
In the windy conditions attention was given to what was going on overhead. 2 or 3 Buzzards were floating overhead , good conditions for them I feel. There was a nice selection of 12 plus Swallow along with 8 plus House Martins and 5 plus Swift feeding over and around the hedges .
An unusual sighting was a Lapwing that headed north , was it a late migrant or a local breeding bird from the local reserves. 2 Greylags also passed over heading towards Worcestershire.
As I was on the return leg the sound of 2 Bullfinches alerted me to their presence within the hedgerow. We are having a good run on them at the moment.
Over the pastures 6 plus Skylark were in good voice and 7 Stock Dove were seen . As Willow and I made our way across a field with fairly long grass in it a bird darted up in front of us and landed on a large dung heap, the sight of a fine male Yellow Wagtail greeted my eyes , but it got better when a female landed along side her boyfriend .They are in the vicinity of where they bred last year so fingers crossed.
In the garden the nest box has almost fallen to bits so I decided to take it down but I was taken aback to find 4 Blue Tit chicks almost fledged inside if they survive it will a miracle , also seen was a juvenile Robin in the garden.
So if I can just find some Spotted Flycatchers things will feel a whole lot better .
Thursday, 22 May 2014
Spot or no Spot ?
First a confession, I sinned and left the patch for some easy birds down at Ashleworth , Redstart , Little Egrets , and species that are hard to get on the patch such as Willow Warbler were all easy picking s.
So since Sunday there have been variations of the usual birds on a daily basis , highlites being a very vocal Cuckoo which has called for the last 4 days and a flyover Red Kite which headed north east , maybe a late migrant .
A Curlew has been calling again from the river meadows again and most migrants are now busy raising their young . House Martins seem to be here in about the same numbers as last year, although we seem to have lost our Yellow Wagtails ,but I may have seen a Spotted Flycatcher earlier from the car as I drove into the driveway , it was a brief view so no definite id as yet ,but here "s hoping .
There are 2 pairs of Moorhens breeding on the patch this year ,a first for all the years I have lived here. There was also a male Yellowhammer present ,a good summer record. For my Bullfinch fan , I have managed to see at least three including a rather buff female .
There are plenty of Whitethroats this year and I am hoping it will be a bumper year for them .Blackcaps are faring well as are Chiffchaffs.
A proper update will follow on Saturday morning
So since Sunday there have been variations of the usual birds on a daily basis , highlites being a very vocal Cuckoo which has called for the last 4 days and a flyover Red Kite which headed north east , maybe a late migrant .
A Curlew has been calling again from the river meadows again and most migrants are now busy raising their young . House Martins seem to be here in about the same numbers as last year, although we seem to have lost our Yellow Wagtails ,but I may have seen a Spotted Flycatcher earlier from the car as I drove into the driveway , it was a brief view so no definite id as yet ,but here "s hoping .
There are 2 pairs of Moorhens breeding on the patch this year ,a first for all the years I have lived here. There was also a male Yellowhammer present ,a good summer record. For my Bullfinch fan , I have managed to see at least three including a rather buff female .
There are plenty of Whitethroats this year and I am hoping it will be a bumper year for them .Blackcaps are faring well as are Chiffchaffs.
A proper update will follow on Saturday morning
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