Monday 16 March 2009

Another sunny warm day, I could get used to this! After a morning at work, I was itching to get out, and 13:00hrs couldn't come quick enough. I had a quick bite to eat, and headed off towards the woods where at first it was a bit quiet, but as I let the woods envelop my senses, I began to tune into the spring symphony, played by the woodland creatures, GREAT TITS were the most obvious, with thier loud, piercing, ''Teacher Teacher'' call and the COAL TITS were not to be outdone, calling their similar, but higher pitched, ''jointy, Jointy, jointy. GREAT SPOTTED WOODPECKERS drummed, and both GOLDCREST and TREECREEPER gave their high pitched thin song, which can be so easily drowned out by ones footfall onto last years now crisp leaf litter, from which an even thinner, higher pitched sound came, a Shrew, my first this year. In the top most branches of an Alder, a pair of SISKIN were singing their wild mix of trills, and a little below them, 2 LONG TAILED TITS, chiruped and gave their ''see - see - see call. I could stand and listen all afternoon on days such as these.

After prising myself away from dreamland, I visited the lake area, not expecting too much at this time of the year, and so I wasn't really disappointed when all that was seen was a lone MALLARD and 4 MOORHEN. I did stay for 15mins or so, and strained my ear towards the scrubby orchard, hoping to hear the song of my first migrant Blackcap, but not today, that will be a pleasure to come. However, a CHIFFCHAFF did come and visit me, and let me take some pics, I got some nice shots.

As I passed through what was the tree nursery, a sound came from above me, it sounded like a Mistle Thrush alarm call, but I looked up and saw two male SPARROWHAWKS having a bit of a disagreement over territory, I've never heard that sound from a Sparrowhawk before! Onto Migrant Alley, and I took my seat on the horse jump, a place that the shape of my backside will soon become established! I scanned the fields and paddocks, but didn't come up with any new migrants, just a MEADOW PIPIT, 2 SKYLARKS, 4 PIEDWAGTAILS, a pair of MISTLE THRUSH and the usual corvids. I scanned the sky at intervals, hoping for something spectacular, maybe a Red Kite or a Harrier species, or even maybe an early Swallow, but the best i got was a lone HERRING GULL and two distant CORMORANTS. Not one winter thrush was seen this afternoon, but 2 FIELDFARE were picked out on the stubbles ealier this morning as I walked to work, there may have been more, but it was very foggy. Tomorrow i'll do it all again!

Below is a the ever photogenic ROBIN
And below are the pics I took of the Chiffchaff, i'll soon be taking this species for granted!









10 comments:

Greenie said...

Warren ,
I thought at first that you had been on the 'wackey-baccey' or had called in at the pub when I started reading your post .
Good reason to increase the cost of alcohol I thought . But then you seemed to snap out of it .
I'll put this one down to too much sun .

Phil and Mandy said...

Lovely pictures of the Chiffchaff Warren, I saw one this afternoon but not close enough to get a shot of. Phil

Warren Baker said...

Phil,
Not all that lovely, a bit over exposed I think.

Sorry Greenie,
Sometimes I give myself too much time to write my posts, and get a bit carried away. Time catches up with me eventually, and i snap out of it!!!!!

Anonymous said...

I thought that was written well, Warren.
I agree, a few weeks down the line and something else will distract us from the long awaited Chiffy`s.

Ken. said...

Hi Warren. I can understand how being out in the nice warm sunshine can get to you. I didn't know you did bird impressions. Maybe that's why you are so successful. Perhaps we should all try that instead of pishing.
Lovely shot's of your long awaited Chiffchaff Warren, over exposed or not.

Kelly said...

...oh...the Chiffchaff is really cute!! I just like saying the name...a fantastic sound to it...

Steve said...

Just catching up on your posts Warren - great to hear the migrants are arriving!

CJ said...

I'm not sure that I want to be known or generalised as a "spoilt horsey type woman" or that I am a "bloody great paddock" owner (see Friday).

You yourself know, Warren, that since we moved to Pittswood, we have worked really hard to do something constructive with our paddocks - plant trees, welcome swallows etc etc. You, yourself ringed the swallows in our barn one year and have enjoyed some of our horse manaure in your own garden.

We might be horse owners, but that doesn't mean that we don't love the countryside or try to be anything but rural.

Touchy - maybe - I know that you like to rant sometimes but, occasionally I think it's unfair.

Warren Baker said...

CJ. I don't think I accused you personally of anything. - unless you own those 16 acres of orchard?

The fact remains, 16 acres of apple tree's and associated habitat have been slashed and burned, all to make a grass field that is of no use to anything but horses. carried out right in the breeding season, not that so called rural folk know when the breeding season is.There is a balnce to be struck, as you well know.

Oxonhoath Birds said...

Nice one with the spoilt horsey type woman Warren, they ought to pick there sh-t up off the road as well.