Monday 19 October 2009

Back to the weekday afternoon visits, they are not nearly so productive as the weekend morning visits, but sometimes I find something exciting. I set off this afternoon in dull windy conditions, with spits of rain in the air, I didn't bother with the camera.

The first patch of habitat I passed through was the small holding, where there were a few birds about on the windfall pears, GREEN WOODPECKER, GREAT TITS, and a flock of around a dozen CHAFFINCH'S, as well as the usual WREN, ROBIN and DUNNOCK. I walked through the wet woods - which is bone dry again, no chance of finding a Teal in there, as happens most years when there's plenty of water about. A few MOORHEN called but that was about it.

Over at the lake there was again a large number of geese, more than yesterday in fact, there were around 50 CANADA GEESE, with a few GREYLAG GEESE, but there was no sign of the Barnacle goose today, it must have flown all the way back up north, to join all the others that have migrated over ;-) . Also on the lake were 5 MALLARDS and a few Moorhen, a late CHIFFCHAFF was seen in the scrub. In the adjacent large garden, there was lots of feeding activity around the feeders, BULLFINCH, Chaffinch, GREENFINCH, GOLDFINCH, GREAT SPOTTED WOODPECKER, BLUE TIT, Great Tit, Robin, Dunnock, BLACKBIRD and a single SONG THRUSH, a species I failed to record at all yesterday.

Next destination was Migrant Alley, I had already walked through it on the way home from work earlier, and had seen a male STONECHAT in the same place where I had seen the pair yesterday, but the was no sign of the female, a further good look around the hedgerow and greenhouses didn't prove fruitful either. maybe the pair had moved on, and this was a different male ? Any way I did a circuit of the fields and paddocks, but the best I found today was the GREY WAGTAIL, back on the manure heap, 3 YELLOWHAMMERS a few PIED WAGTAILS and just two flyover SKYLARKS. A MISTLE THRUSH was heard to give a few song notes in the distance.

There weren't any addions to the monthly list today, I can't really expect anymore, I think ive been spoilt already!

5 comments:

Chris said...

Hi Warren,
Cone on do not give up on this month species number, you never know what nature might give you!!! Let's cross the fingers, but you know, it is better sometime not to beat the record, cause otherwise it will be the same for you as for me, next year is gonna be quite hard in terms of records ;-)

Anonymous said...

"I think i`ve been spoilt already".
Yep, now it`s my turn, Warren ;-)

Pete Woodruff said...

Interested in your Stonechat records......are they breeders in your neck of the wood Warren, or birds either wintering or on their way to warmer climes?

Pete.

Anonymous said...

I know of no place like you have to go to and find birds. My only source is behind my house and the birds have to fly into my backyard to be photographed. It is a different kind of world we two live in.

Kelly said...

....I agree with Chris....don't give up. You're so diligent your bound to spot something in the next week or so!