Sunday 29 December 2013

What another update!

As the end of the year approaches , I am desperate to try and add another species to the patch list .So I was out on Saturday to try and do just that. First bird up was a Green Woodpecker so a good start .A small flock of 5 Meadow Pipits around the cattle bough was nice and the Skylark flock numbered 33 plus .There were also 3 Red Legged Partridge in the vicinity.
Overhead 2 Buzzards and 3 Raven passed over as did a Cormorant heading downriver. The floodwaters held small numbers of Black Headed ,Herring, and Common Gulls. 3Stock dove were in the usual place and a fine male Bullfinch in one of the hedgerows was a nice find.
It was winter thrushes which gave the numbers with 80 plus Fieldfare and 40 plus Redwing on pasture and it was great to see a flock of 70 plus Lapwings pass over towards Ashleworth ham .
Sunday dawned very cold with a sharp frost and there did not seem as many birds around.
The 3 Raven are still around the area as were the Meadow Pipits but today only 3 seen. I heard the Green Woodpecker but did not see it today
The Skylarks were down to 24 today maybe the frost having moved a few on. Stock Doves were 5 .
The old Orchard held at least 120 plus Redwing along with 60 plus Fieldfare. The best sight however was a herd of 9Mute Swans flying over the floods into the sunrise ,just stunning !

Friday 27 December 2013

A unexpected visitor.

A quick update ,after a very quiet but wet and very windy walk an unexpected visitor made a flyover visit to the patch in the form of a Greater Black Backed Gull  and yes it takes us to 85 species so far for the year  .Aside from that there was very little to write about with just 3 Skylark and 5 Meadow Pipit s seen .
Winter Thrushes were represented today by 45 plus Redwing and 65 plus Fieldfare also tagging along were 100 plus Starlings.
Apart from a hunting Kestrel there was very little of interest with most of the resident birds keeping their heads down in the blasting winds.

Thursday 26 December 2013

A Christmas update

Sorry for the lack of updates ,but it has a been a busy run up to the Christmas period. The harshest winter and the 100 days of snow are no where to be seen in fact it has been very mild and now very very wet ,with heavy rain ,gales etc so the area is once again under water.
As far as the birdlife things have settled down with most birds been seen being winterers. On the feeders we were graced by a pair of Blackcaps for a day (male, female), and all the usual suspects have been seen although still no Coal Tits and only one day with Redpolls and no still no Bramblings. There is still time though .
On the patch on Christmas day Willow and I were out early and saw 100 plus each of Redwing and Fieldfare on pasture. a group of Meadow Pipits 15 plus are wintering and we have a good flock of 38 plus Skylark were around on rough pasture.
Around the cattle feeders were 4 Pied Wagtail and 3 Red Legged Partridge .A Mistle Thrush and 2 Ravens passed over .2 Greater Spotted Woodpeckers were of interest.
Boxing Day morning was cold and clear ahead of another storm which is due, on the pasture land were 40  plus Skylark, 26 plus Meadow Pipits 4 Stock Dove and 3 Snipe feeding in a wet stubble field.
A Reed Bunting continues to winter here and there were 50 plus Black Headed Gulls on floodwater. A by now regular Raven passed over and 2 Buzzards ran the usual attacks by the local corvids.
Thrushes were represented by 58 plus Fieldfare ,20 plus Redwing and 8/9 Song Thrush including a flock of 7 .

Sunday 15 December 2013

Long overdue update.

It has been a few weeks since I updated the blog , to be honest I have been still walking the patch but there have been no birds of any consequence to write about.  So today I decided to make a big effort and try and find something worth writing about ,I failed ,this winter has been a huge disappointment so far , but then again it has been so mild far from the one predicted .
A good bird was a Chiffchaff in one of the hedgerows, the first for quite a while and a bird that is wintering with us.
 Thrush"s were a Mistle Thrush, 17 plus Fieldfare, 47 plus Redwing  and a dozen or so Blackbirds.
On the fields were 9 plus Skylark and a good 27 plus Meadow Pipits  , 3 Pied Wagtails and just 3 Stock Doves. It was odd to see a flock of 8 Magpies in the hedges. A Greater Spotted Woodpecker flew over . Raptors were a Buzzard which was worming and a hunting male Kestrel.
The year is limping to the end can we add one more species to the patch list for 2013 ? lets hope so but it would appear as likely as England winning the Ashes , but lets see .