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
Friday, 23 January 2015
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.
Friday, 2 January 2015
2015 off an running
So 2nd of January and Willow hot footed onto the patch to get the year off to a flying start. It was very mild again but with a chilly NW breeze ( you get the drift ,warmer than you would expect ). So this blog I will list all the species seen today as some this will be the only mention they get this year and as we see others I will mention and update the total for the year .So the bird species seen today on the patch were ,
1. Blackbird (18 plus seen today )
2. Carrion Crow
3. Jackdaw
4.Blue Tit
5.Chaffinch
6. Starling
7. Robin
8.Wood Pigeon
9. Buzzard
10.Herring Gull
11.Fieldfare ( 180 plus seen today)
12. Meadow Pipit (53 plus seen today, that's a good count for this bird in January )
13. Stock Dove
14. Raven (1 over)
15. Green finch
16. Redwing ( 100 plus seen today)
17. Lesser Black Backed Gull
18. Magpie
19. Common Gull
20. Rook
21.Pheasent
22.Dunnock
23. Greater Spotted Woodpecker.
24.Bullfinch
25. Goldfinch
26.Great Tit
27. House Sparrow.
28.Song Thrush
29.Mistle Thrush
30.Green Woodpecker
31.Long Tailed Tit
32.Jay
33.Cormorant (1 seen heading downriver)
34.Wren
35.Linnet (just 1 seen today)
36.Skylark (12 plus on pastures today)
37.Kestrel (1 hunting over patch this morning)
38.Pied Wagtail (5 seen on top fields this morning .
Overall a quiet walk with the winter Thrush , Meadow Pipits and Skylarks making up the limited high lights .
So lets get it on 2015 ,I really want to get to 90 species this year ! Happy New Year to all my readers (well if there are any )
1. Blackbird (18 plus seen today )
2. Carrion Crow
3. Jackdaw
4.Blue Tit
5.Chaffinch
6. Starling
7. Robin
8.Wood Pigeon
9. Buzzard
10.Herring Gull
11.Fieldfare ( 180 plus seen today)
12. Meadow Pipit (53 plus seen today, that's a good count for this bird in January )
13. Stock Dove
14. Raven (1 over)
15. Green finch
16. Redwing ( 100 plus seen today)
17. Lesser Black Backed Gull
18. Magpie
19. Common Gull
20. Rook
21.Pheasent
22.Dunnock
23. Greater Spotted Woodpecker.
24.Bullfinch
25. Goldfinch
26.Great Tit
27. House Sparrow.
28.Song Thrush
29.Mistle Thrush
30.Green Woodpecker
31.Long Tailed Tit
32.Jay
33.Cormorant (1 seen heading downriver)
34.Wren
35.Linnet (just 1 seen today)
36.Skylark (12 plus on pastures today)
37.Kestrel (1 hunting over patch this morning)
38.Pied Wagtail (5 seen on top fields this morning .
Overall a quiet walk with the winter Thrush , Meadow Pipits and Skylarks making up the limited high lights .
So lets get it on 2015 ,I really want to get to 90 species this year ! Happy New Year to all my readers (well if there are any )
Wednesday, 31 December 2014
last post for 2014
So this morning was the last chance to see if we could add to our species list for the year. Willow and I hit the patch at 9am ,my mouth infection was still horrible and still made me feel crap .
The early frost was thawing and the wind was picking up with the milder temps that were forecast arriving on time.
Winter Thrush were plentiful around the patch with 118 plus Redwing and 40 plus Fieldfare feeding on the thawing pasture land . Blackbirds were still around in numbers with 19 plus seen today on the hedges and in the fields . Just 2 Mistle Thrush were seen today and there were fewer Song Thrush than of late.
On the pastures there were 16 plus Meadow Pipits with 5 Pied Wagtails feeding on the top fields ,along side these two were a nice number of Skylarks with 16 plus about this morning.
The Starling numbers on the patch still rise with up to 400 plus seen today. A really nice bonus for this morning were a small party of 3 Lapwing which fed on one of the top stubble fields .They were probably forced onto the pasture by the fact the river meadows had frozen over night .We usually see more as the winter changes to Spring with birds pausing briefly on there way north, if we lucky there are sometimes some Golden Plover as well .
In the hedges were a Jay, and 3 very smart looking Bullfinch ,the male looking superb in the morning sun light . I could only muster a single Stock Dove today ,the rest seem to have disappeared.
The final birds of note for the walk were a small party of 6 Greylag Geese which headed towards the river.
On the raptor front were 2 Buzzard and a hunting male Kestrel.
So we end on 87 species for the year, 2 up from last year .Its only a small patch of nothing and that's why its great to see what passes through on its journey from or to who knows where . There have been plenty of high lights this year of course the Osprey in April must jump out but my favourite memory for the last year is when a holidaying birder from London asked if he could visit the patch .He had never seen a Redstart and that time we seem to be in a rich vain of form as far as these birds were concerned ,we eventually found a female but it was hard work and we had been tripping over them for the previous weeks , it was great to give this birder a lifer and it will stay with him forever as his first Redstart. On the same walk we saw the first 3 Meadow Pipits of the Autumn and that was the same buzz for me ,the signal that the Autumn migration had started .
So thank you to all the birds that let me spot you as you passed through ,to the ones I missed I will get you next time, thank you to all you guys who have read this inane dribble and stayed the course ,you may have discovered the cure for insomnia .
If I have inspired you to leave a little space in your hectic life for some wildlife (not sex ,drugs and rock n roll ) then get out there and see what you might spot ,you will be surprised what you might find .I wish you all a Happy New Year and thanks for reading Tirley Twittering.
The new year beckons and I wonder what we will see this year ?
The early frost was thawing and the wind was picking up with the milder temps that were forecast arriving on time.
Winter Thrush were plentiful around the patch with 118 plus Redwing and 40 plus Fieldfare feeding on the thawing pasture land . Blackbirds were still around in numbers with 19 plus seen today on the hedges and in the fields . Just 2 Mistle Thrush were seen today and there were fewer Song Thrush than of late.
On the pastures there were 16 plus Meadow Pipits with 5 Pied Wagtails feeding on the top fields ,along side these two were a nice number of Skylarks with 16 plus about this morning.
The Starling numbers on the patch still rise with up to 400 plus seen today. A really nice bonus for this morning were a small party of 3 Lapwing which fed on one of the top stubble fields .They were probably forced onto the pasture by the fact the river meadows had frozen over night .We usually see more as the winter changes to Spring with birds pausing briefly on there way north, if we lucky there are sometimes some Golden Plover as well .
In the hedges were a Jay, and 3 very smart looking Bullfinch ,the male looking superb in the morning sun light . I could only muster a single Stock Dove today ,the rest seem to have disappeared.
The final birds of note for the walk were a small party of 6 Greylag Geese which headed towards the river.
On the raptor front were 2 Buzzard and a hunting male Kestrel.
So we end on 87 species for the year, 2 up from last year .Its only a small patch of nothing and that's why its great to see what passes through on its journey from or to who knows where . There have been plenty of high lights this year of course the Osprey in April must jump out but my favourite memory for the last year is when a holidaying birder from London asked if he could visit the patch .He had never seen a Redstart and that time we seem to be in a rich vain of form as far as these birds were concerned ,we eventually found a female but it was hard work and we had been tripping over them for the previous weeks , it was great to give this birder a lifer and it will stay with him forever as his first Redstart. On the same walk we saw the first 3 Meadow Pipits of the Autumn and that was the same buzz for me ,the signal that the Autumn migration had started .
So thank you to all the birds that let me spot you as you passed through ,to the ones I missed I will get you next time, thank you to all you guys who have read this inane dribble and stayed the course ,you may have discovered the cure for insomnia .
If I have inspired you to leave a little space in your hectic life for some wildlife (not sex ,drugs and rock n roll ) then get out there and see what you might spot ,you will be surprised what you might find .I wish you all a Happy New Year and thanks for reading Tirley Twittering.
The new year beckons and I wonder what we will see this year ?
Sunday, 28 December 2014
26th and 28th update.
As the old year spills quickly away there seems little hope that we will add one more species total of 87 for the year. But being the optimist I was out with Willow on Boxing day morning to see what was about. Of course I was not feeling on top form as I was in the process of attaining an infection under a cracked wisdom tooth , not much seasonal cheer in that department .
There were still good numbers of Blackbirds around with a massive 29 plus seen today .The other winter Thrushes still were over the patch with 31plus Fieldfare and 90 plus Redwing feeding on the hedgerows or on pasture. Just a single Mistle Thrush but still at least 7 Song Thrush also. There were also 2 Bullfinch around we seem to be enjoying a good run of these at the moment .
In the top fields there were still good numbers of birds with a mobile flock of at least 30 plus Meadow Pipits along with at least 8 Pied Wagtails mixed in with them .
In the same vicinity were at least 14 plus Skylark and a good count of 16 Stock Dove ,the latter being a good count for this time of year.
The by now usual 2 Red Legged Partridge headed for the hills as we appeared . The other bird of note was a flock of at least 250 plus Starling feeding in the same fields , good to see some in numbers after a poor Autumn for them on the patch .
On the raptor front we managed a single Buzzard, a male Kestrel perched over a ploughed field and a female Sparrow Hawk which made a failed attempt at a Skylark .
The pastures are attracting a few passing Gulls and a small flock of Lesser Black Backed, Herring, Common, and Black Headed Gulls were feeding amongst the cattle.
The best of the rest today were a Green Woodpecker and a calling Jay.
The 28th dawned very cold after a hard frost ,the first of the winter too really bite. It was a clear blue sky that greeted Willow and I this morning and I had to wrap a scarf over my swollen cheek/ mouth to keep out the cold as I was in great pain with this flaming infection, I am beginning to wonder when the drugs will kick in ,it cannot come soon enough believe me !
The frost was heavy on the ground and the patch still held good numbers of winter Thrush with 77 plus Redwing, 48 plus Fieldfare, 4 Mistle Thrush, 20 plus Blackbird and at least 5 Song Thrush .
On the top fields there were still 14 plus Meadow Pipits, 4 Pied Wagtails and just 4 Skylark, all reduced in numbers perhaps there have been moved on by the cold snap. One bird has increased however with over 350 plus Starling feeding on the nearby pastures.
The gull flock today included 10 Lesser Black Backed Gulls, 1 Common Gull, 4 Herring Gull and 10 Black Headed Gull .
On the raptor front just a couple Buzzard today was all we could muster.
An over flying Mute Swan was nice to see ( not something we see that often so worthy of a mention).
The best of the rest today were a Green Woodpecker ,a fly over Greater Spotted Woodpecker, 2 Bullfinch, and 3 Stock Dove.
However the best sighting by a country mile was a fine Fox that looked a picture of health as it trotted over the frost whitened fields, just superb and a large middle finger to local Fox hunt . Lets hope they all got really wet and cold yesterday .
Out tomorrow to see whats about so expect another update.
There were still good numbers of Blackbirds around with a massive 29 plus seen today .The other winter Thrushes still were over the patch with 31plus Fieldfare and 90 plus Redwing feeding on the hedgerows or on pasture. Just a single Mistle Thrush but still at least 7 Song Thrush also. There were also 2 Bullfinch around we seem to be enjoying a good run of these at the moment .
In the top fields there were still good numbers of birds with a mobile flock of at least 30 plus Meadow Pipits along with at least 8 Pied Wagtails mixed in with them .
In the same vicinity were at least 14 plus Skylark and a good count of 16 Stock Dove ,the latter being a good count for this time of year.
The by now usual 2 Red Legged Partridge headed for the hills as we appeared . The other bird of note was a flock of at least 250 plus Starling feeding in the same fields , good to see some in numbers after a poor Autumn for them on the patch .
On the raptor front we managed a single Buzzard, a male Kestrel perched over a ploughed field and a female Sparrow Hawk which made a failed attempt at a Skylark .
The pastures are attracting a few passing Gulls and a small flock of Lesser Black Backed, Herring, Common, and Black Headed Gulls were feeding amongst the cattle.
The best of the rest today were a Green Woodpecker and a calling Jay.
The 28th dawned very cold after a hard frost ,the first of the winter too really bite. It was a clear blue sky that greeted Willow and I this morning and I had to wrap a scarf over my swollen cheek/ mouth to keep out the cold as I was in great pain with this flaming infection, I am beginning to wonder when the drugs will kick in ,it cannot come soon enough believe me !
The frost was heavy on the ground and the patch still held good numbers of winter Thrush with 77 plus Redwing, 48 plus Fieldfare, 4 Mistle Thrush, 20 plus Blackbird and at least 5 Song Thrush .
On the top fields there were still 14 plus Meadow Pipits, 4 Pied Wagtails and just 4 Skylark, all reduced in numbers perhaps there have been moved on by the cold snap. One bird has increased however with over 350 plus Starling feeding on the nearby pastures.
The gull flock today included 10 Lesser Black Backed Gulls, 1 Common Gull, 4 Herring Gull and 10 Black Headed Gull .
On the raptor front just a couple Buzzard today was all we could muster.
An over flying Mute Swan was nice to see ( not something we see that often so worthy of a mention).
The best of the rest today were a Green Woodpecker ,a fly over Greater Spotted Woodpecker, 2 Bullfinch, and 3 Stock Dove.
However the best sighting by a country mile was a fine Fox that looked a picture of health as it trotted over the frost whitened fields, just superb and a large middle finger to local Fox hunt . Lets hope they all got really wet and cold yesterday .
Out tomorrow to see whats about so expect another update.
Thursday, 25 December 2014
23rd /24th update , A Christmas Cracker
With the Holidays about to start, it was the right thing to do and get out on that patch. It was mild, and windy with some rather unpleasant sheets of drizzle passing over. The patch has been quiet of late but today it perked up with some good numbers of the winter visitors we see around at this time of year.
The main birds once again on the patch were the winter Thrush s with a good count of 280 plus Fieldfare along with 70 plus Redwing and another good number of Blackbirds with at least 25 plus been seen .There were also 3 Mistle Thrush and at least 7 Song Thrush.
In the tops fields there were at least 25 plus Meadow Pipits and a healthy 20 plus Pied wagtails feeding on a stubble field. It was good to see a small flock of 15 plus Chaffinch. In the field margins 3 Red Legged Partridges lurked. .There were a suprising number of Stock Doves about with 30 plus today far more than usual .Skylarks chipped in with 15 plus today.
There are not as many Starlings this winter so a count of 150 plus was nice to see.
The hedges are quiet at this time of year ,and I found a good count of 4 Bullfinch today . Robins are back to the normal numbers. I am going to just mention a nice small flock of 6 Common Gull on pasture ,great birds which are often over looked .They are very demure birds ,a real northern bird and nice to see down here in the winter.
Overhead a Raven passed eastwards and a Green Woodpecker called .
Christmas dawned colder , so just a tad more seasonal .The first birds I saw were 2 Greater Spotted Woodpeckers which flew low over to the south .
As I walked the magic hedgerow a small bird came into view and it was nice to be able to report a cracking little Goldcrest , a great little bird to see on the patch at this time of year. The first Linnets were seen for awhile with a couple in the hedges.
Winter Thrush s were still around but in much smaller numbers than yesterday. All I could manage were 15 plus Fieldfare, 12 plus Redwing ,4 Mistle Thrush and still a healthy 16 plus Blackbirds .There were at least 7 Song Thrush present.
In the hedges today of note were 8 Long Tailed Tits and a female Bullfinch .
On the pastures today were 20 plus Meadow Pipits , along with 12 plus Skylark and just 6 Pied Wagtails .A couple of Red Legged Partridges hot footed over the fields when they saw me coming towards them .
The best of the rest were a Buzzard, 2 Green Woodpecker ,a Jay and just 6 Stock Dove today .
Any way thanks for reading this drivel and as we enter the last week lets hope for a Christmas Big one .
The main birds once again on the patch were the winter Thrush s with a good count of 280 plus Fieldfare along with 70 plus Redwing and another good number of Blackbirds with at least 25 plus been seen .There were also 3 Mistle Thrush and at least 7 Song Thrush.
In the tops fields there were at least 25 plus Meadow Pipits and a healthy 20 plus Pied wagtails feeding on a stubble field. It was good to see a small flock of 15 plus Chaffinch. In the field margins 3 Red Legged Partridges lurked. .There were a suprising number of Stock Doves about with 30 plus today far more than usual .Skylarks chipped in with 15 plus today.
There are not as many Starlings this winter so a count of 150 plus was nice to see.
The hedges are quiet at this time of year ,and I found a good count of 4 Bullfinch today . Robins are back to the normal numbers. I am going to just mention a nice small flock of 6 Common Gull on pasture ,great birds which are often over looked .They are very demure birds ,a real northern bird and nice to see down here in the winter.
Overhead a Raven passed eastwards and a Green Woodpecker called .
Christmas dawned colder , so just a tad more seasonal .The first birds I saw were 2 Greater Spotted Woodpeckers which flew low over to the south .
As I walked the magic hedgerow a small bird came into view and it was nice to be able to report a cracking little Goldcrest , a great little bird to see on the patch at this time of year. The first Linnets were seen for awhile with a couple in the hedges.
Winter Thrush s were still around but in much smaller numbers than yesterday. All I could manage were 15 plus Fieldfare, 12 plus Redwing ,4 Mistle Thrush and still a healthy 16 plus Blackbirds .There were at least 7 Song Thrush present.
In the hedges today of note were 8 Long Tailed Tits and a female Bullfinch .
On the pastures today were 20 plus Meadow Pipits , along with 12 plus Skylark and just 6 Pied Wagtails .A couple of Red Legged Partridges hot footed over the fields when they saw me coming towards them .
The best of the rest were a Buzzard, 2 Green Woodpecker ,a Jay and just 6 Stock Dove today .
Any way thanks for reading this drivel and as we enter the last week lets hope for a Christmas Big one .
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