The weather today proved totally unproductive for any decent birding, rain, drizzle, low cloud and cool temperatures all conspired to make it a very quiet day. The only thing I can note was the finding of two drake MANDARIN DUCKS in the Wet Woods, where a MALLARD had a family of 18 ducklings! I wonder how many of those will escape predation ? Talking of which, I checked up on the BLACKBIRD nest in my garden boundary this morning, finding one dead chick below the nest, and the nest empty :-(  I wonder who did that!  Could have been the magpie, Jay or even the Sprawk.A sad end to all that work that the adult birds went through to get to within 5 days of fledging their young. All part of nature though, just think if no Blackbird nests were predated, next year the place would be over run with them, there would be no food for them all and disease would be rife, nature provides plenty to go round for all, and enough survivors to continue the species - as long as humans stay out of it!!

Back to the 'garden photo blog' folder to brighten todays post  :-)

GREAT SPOTTED WOODPECKER

Great Spotted Woodpecker

STARLING

Starling

Starling

MAGPIE - did he take the young Blackbirds ?

Who me ? No mate, it wasn't me!

A low, murky cloud hung over the area for most of the morning, but at least it stayed dry and it wasn't windy :-)

I only visited the College Grounds, Greenhouse grounds and Migrant Alley today, with a quick scan of the Pub Field and Ashes Lane field, both of which were home to a few STOCK DOVES, but nothing else.

The WHITETHROAT was back singing in the Greenhouse Grounds as I passed through, along with a BLACKCAP and the regular WRENS, ROBINS, DUNNOCKS, BLACKBIRDS, SONGTHRUSH, and PIED WAGTAIL. Another Blackcap and a CHIFFCHAFF were singing from the Wooded Headland to the North of Migrant Alley, but the hopes of recording Turtle Dove on this part of my patch, which was a former haunt for them, have now been relinquished. Migrant Alley was again home to CANADA GEESE and GREYLAG GEESE, 6 of the former and 8 of the later were seen, as were the 20 odd LINNETS that fed on the dandelion heads there.

An hour spent looking through the College Grounds and gardens didn't produce a Spotted Flycatcher, or any of the ''expected any day now'' fledgling young, from the likes of ROBIN, Songthrush, DUNNOCK, WREN or PIED WAGTAIL.

MISTLETHRUSH, GREENWOODPECKER, GREAT SPOTTED WOODPECKER, GOLDCREST, COAL TIT, JAY, SWALLOW, and a couple more Chiffchaff and Blackcap were best of what was found at the College today.

SONGTHRUSH

An hours sky watching from my seat over at Migrant Alley produced a few of the scarcer birds for my patch, including 4 Raptor species - BUZZARD, KESTREL, HOBBY and SPARROWHAWK. A few SWIFTS also moved through, and a GREY HERON flew low over my position, while the sighting of a pair of MUTE SWANS flying high was a bonus. One new species for the month was added as I sky watched, when a YELLOWHAMMER (66) flew in to the Tall hedge behind my seat, called twice, then flew off again, another of those species that has declined to almost extinction on my patch  :-(

Grey Heron over my seat

Grey Heron

Later this afternoon the sun made an appearance, so I went out to find some flutters. Not an easy thing to do on my patch anymore, as the best habitat has now been lost to the plough, it will be nigh on impossible to find the likes of Common Blue, Brown Argus and Small copper here now.

I did manage to find Small White, Large White, Green Veined White, Orange Tip, Comma, Speckled Wood, Peacock, Holly Blue and Brimstone, the latter of which I have never manged to get a photo of, today I was that close though! I was just going to press the shutter when a Bee landed on the Brimstone and off it went.......blast it!!

All I came away with was these two shots in the end!

Peacock Butterfly

Speckled Wood

A full patch walk was undertaken today, in mostly cloudy conditions and a light wind, but still a bit on the cool side for May.

None of the 47 species encountered today were additions for the months list, i've a feeling that this May will go down as one of the quietest recorded here. The regular spring Migrants that stay to breed, have all arrived now, apart from the Spotted flycatcher and Garden warbler, which are probably not going to arrive now, especially the Garden warbler, while the Lesser Whitethroat and Cuckoo just passed through, and wont be breeding here this year for the first time since I have been recording, that's a big hole in the summer species list here!

None-the-less, I continue to search for the fledglings that prove Successful breeding for the species that are here, unfortunately no new ones of those were found either today!   :-) The two MOORHEN families seen last week at the College Grounds continue to survive, one has at least 4 chicks, the other at least 5.

Moorhen plus chick at the College Grounds

As Above  :-)

PIED WAGTAIL, TREECREEPER, SONGTHRUSH, ROBIN, GREENFINCH, and STARLING were all seen at the College carrying food, their young will soon be fledging. A few more fledged ROOKS have appeared, they were seen on the sheep pasture at Migrant Alley, while on the adjacent  paddocks there were 9 CANADA GEESE and 6 GREYLAG GEESE all failed breeders I suspect, also a good number of LINNETS were seen, 26 in all.

An early sky watch from my seat overlooking the sheep pasture and paddocks provided lots of SWIFT sightings, at one stage the sky was filled with them, before they all passed through, only one HOUSE MARTIN was seen though. KESTREL and BUZZARD were up hunting early, and a procession of Gulls flew in from all directions, alighting on the Ashes lane Field that was being harrowed again, at least 30 HERRING and 4 LESSER BLACK BACKED GULLS dropped in. The WHITETHROAT called briefly from the Greenhouse Grounds, hopefully they will breeding there, only one of two pairs on my patch this year.

I moved on to the Scrubby Woods and Lakes, via the Small Holding and Wet Woods, adding all the regular common species, except Nuthatch, not seen one for a few days now. I checked the GREAT SPOTTED WOODPECKERS nest in the Wet Woods, and all was quiet, I suspect the female bird is sitting on eggs now.

Only the COOT family was of any interest on the lakes, they continue to thrive, and a pair of Canada Geese kept the feral BARNACLE GOOSE company on the main lake today.

'Feral' Barnacle Goose - helps pack out my year list  :-)

A look around the Scrubby Woods was good for BLACKCAP, CHIFFCHAFF, GOLDCREST, COAL TIT, BULLFINCH, another Treecreeper and a LONG TAILED TIT pair. All very average at the moment here though  :-)

A couple of garden bird, 'blog brighteners' to end with ;

Robin

Robin

Here's the BLACKBIRD, collecting food for her young that are hidden in the nest in the boundary hedge, they are at least 7 days old now, another week to go, fingers crossed  :-)

Only a short 2 hour patch visit was had this morning, in cold and mostly cloudy, but dry conditions. Most of the time was spent walking over to the College Grounds and back, checking for the possible arrival of the Spotted Flycatchers, which were not there  :-( In fact very little was about, the cold morning was keeping things quiet, the best I found were GOLDCREST and COAL TIT, with a couple of singing BLACKCAPS and CHIFFCHAFFS. I did find the first newly fledged ROOKS as well though, one day earlier than last years first record. Food was being carried back to nests by both TREECREEPER and SONGTHRUSH, so hopefully their fledged young will be seen soon.

Newly Fledged Rooks

Songthrush with food for nestlings

Songthrush Again  :-)

Walking back over Migrant Alley I saw 7 CANADA GEESE, and 2 GREYLAG GEESE had dropped onto the paddocks, a flock of 24 STARLINGS were with them, and on an adjacent paddock 8 LINNETS were feeding on dandelion heads. Overhead a LESSER BLACK BACKED GULL and 2 HERRING GULLS went over, as did just 2 SWIFTS, but there really was very little in the sky today, even the SWALLOWS were sitting it out on the power lines!

The only raptor seen today was one of the KESTREL pair, seen perched on the Greenhouses, where the Whitethroat pair were notable by their absence, they are normally quite vocal in the surrounding bramble patches.

Not a very inspiring day then  :-( , I put it down to this cold weather !

This ROBIN sat perfectly in one of the few bright spells to be had this morning

Two Jays were in the garden early on this morning

If you look in the background of the above photo, you can make out the male BLACKBIRD, its his nest that is in the garden boundary, he soon saw the Jays off, and the young Blackbird nestlings are still doing ok  :-) they should fledge later next week, all being well   :-)