Midsummer on the patch and we await Autumn . The first Autumn migrant showed itself today with a view of a Garden Warbler ,not such a common bird here on the patch. That takes the number of species this year to 78 .
I took a quick dash onto the patch today and found a bird that I have only seen fleetingly this summer ,I discovered a pair of Yellow Wagtails in the same place as last year. The female had food in her beak and the male was in close attendance, have they bred ,if so I have really being walking around with my eyes shut.
The other star bird are the Spotted Flycatchers and they seem to be doing well and I am seeing them on a daily basis now as they take food into their nest ,great birds I love them .
I visited the patch on Saturday and the weather was again good. There is much less bird song now and the countryside has that long summer feel and look about it ,with the buzz of insect life and Butterflies along the hedgerows. I found 3 Blackcap, 4 Chiffchaff and 7 Whitethroat ,its been a great year for Whitethroats this year for me.
Overhead 13 plus Swallow and 15 plus House Martins were going about their daily tasks. The local Buzzards numbered 4 today .
Even the Skylarks have gone quiet with just 4 seen on Saturday. Stock Dove passed over with 3 been seen.
The Woodpecker crew were represented by a distant calling Green and 2 Greater Spotted .
The patch list now stands at 78 for the year.
Finally a confession , I went to Coombe Hill Meadows on Sunday instead of patching it ,it was a guilty pleasure but there were some great birds down there and its strange to see some species so easily that we really struggle to see on the patch even though its less than 2 miles as the crow flies .
Monday, 30 June 2014
Wednesday, 25 June 2014
Summertime treats
Its summer on the patch and grass has been cut for silage and there is a general feeling of high summer .
Its been over a week since I updated the blog so I will start with last Saturday. It was mid morning by the time I got out onto the patch ,as I was feeling very under the weather .
In the hedgerows were 7 Chiffchaff, 5 Blackcap, 3 Whitethroat .There is much less bird song now so its not quite as easy to find your quarry sometimes.
Overhead 2 Raven were loudly calling and 13 plus local Swallows were about along 10 plus House Martins and briefly a lone Swift. The local Buzzards were out in force with 5 been seen and a female Sparrow hawk cruised over. 1 Grey Heron passed upriver .
On the pastures just 2 Skylark were singing ,its seems to have a good year for them this year . 5 Stock Dove were in the usual haunts.
The local Little Owls still seem to be have problems sleeping with 2 calling to each at around midday.
One Pied Wagtail was feeding in a fodder beet fields and a Greater Spotted Woodpecker bounced over towards its nest sight , I can hear the young within the nest.
Regular readers may remember me wanting to know where if any were any Spotted Flycatchers were nesting, well I found out that a pair are nesting in middle of the village after being alerted by a local reader who asked me to come down and id a brown bird that had a nest in their honey suckle, I was over joyed to find a pair of Spotties .
Today Wednesday another Summer treat found when a Red Kite was seen by myself feeding on road kill on the out skirts of the village, it glided over my head no further than 6 foot above my head bloody fantastic. It would be great if there is a pair nearby .They are great birds and I think that maybe at last they are spreading our way ,about time too !
There are 4/5 pairs of House Martins nesting on the houses close by ,its nice to see them over the garden in the hot weather, I just wish they would choose my cottage ,here hoping for next year. I may invest in a Martin nest box for next year.
So Autumn in the bird world is approaching fast and in a few short weeks the first Autumn migrants will appear on the patch. Our patch list stands at 77 ,will we beat or even equal the 88 we got last year. It had better be a good Autumn .
Its been over a week since I updated the blog so I will start with last Saturday. It was mid morning by the time I got out onto the patch ,as I was feeling very under the weather .
In the hedgerows were 7 Chiffchaff, 5 Blackcap, 3 Whitethroat .There is much less bird song now so its not quite as easy to find your quarry sometimes.
Overhead 2 Raven were loudly calling and 13 plus local Swallows were about along 10 plus House Martins and briefly a lone Swift. The local Buzzards were out in force with 5 been seen and a female Sparrow hawk cruised over. 1 Grey Heron passed upriver .
On the pastures just 2 Skylark were singing ,its seems to have a good year for them this year . 5 Stock Dove were in the usual haunts.
The local Little Owls still seem to be have problems sleeping with 2 calling to each at around midday.
One Pied Wagtail was feeding in a fodder beet fields and a Greater Spotted Woodpecker bounced over towards its nest sight , I can hear the young within the nest.
Regular readers may remember me wanting to know where if any were any Spotted Flycatchers were nesting, well I found out that a pair are nesting in middle of the village after being alerted by a local reader who asked me to come down and id a brown bird that had a nest in their honey suckle, I was over joyed to find a pair of Spotties .
Today Wednesday another Summer treat found when a Red Kite was seen by myself feeding on road kill on the out skirts of the village, it glided over my head no further than 6 foot above my head bloody fantastic. It would be great if there is a pair nearby .They are great birds and I think that maybe at last they are spreading our way ,about time too !
There are 4/5 pairs of House Martins nesting on the houses close by ,its nice to see them over the garden in the hot weather, I just wish they would choose my cottage ,here hoping for next year. I may invest in a Martin nest box for next year.
So Autumn in the bird world is approaching fast and in a few short weeks the first Autumn migrants will appear on the patch. Our patch list stands at 77 ,will we beat or even equal the 88 we got last year. It had better be a good Autumn .
Sunday, 15 June 2014
The turn of the year.
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
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, 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
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