Before leaving for my afternoon walk, around 14:00hrs, I took the above photo of the Finch's at my garden feeders, they are consuming the sunflower hearts at such a rate, I don't think the 60kg I bought for this month will last !Back to my walk, which was again through the Tree Nursery, Pub Field maize crop and a circuit of Migrant Alley. A HOBBY went over fast and low, before I had even reached the Tree Nursery, a good start, but it didn't last, it was relatively birdless in the Tree Nursery, a WREN, a ROBIN, a GREEN WOODPECKER and flyovers by PIED WAGTAIL and WOODPIGEON were about it.
Up the side of the Maize crop in the Pub Field, I was hoping for something to fly from the edge of the crop into the hedge, maybe a Sedge or Reed Warbler, but all I saw was DUNNOCKS, with a few BLUE TITS feeding on the hedgerow berries.
Migrant Alley was full of ROOKS and JACKDAWS, and today they were all put up by not a Buzzard, as yesterday, but a PEREGRINE, which half heartedly chased the Jackdaws. A few LINNETS and more Pied Wagtails were about, but no sign of any migrant species yet. I reached the north end of Migrant Alley, and walked the strip of wood/scrub there, and found a real surprise, not a bird, but a Butterfly - a Ringlet! Wow!! Ive never seen a ringlet before, this is the 25th butterfly species recorded on my patch now.
A bit of skywatching for 40mins produced the local SWALLOWS and HOUSE MARTINS, as well as a couple of HERRING GULLS, also 2 SWIFTS - the last this year ? The usual SPARROWHAWK went past menacingly, no wonder there's no passerine migrants on the fence lines with all these raptors about !
Photo's today: Below an Immature Robin, it will soon get all of its red breast, and be the best looking bird around :-)
Below is my first ringlet on my patch, and a lifer species for me ! It also represents the 25th butterfly species recorded on my patch.
Ok, Its a bit old and tatty, but it still counts :-)
In the small wild area by the miaze crop, there were still plenty of the smaller butterflies, I know I keep posting these species, but they look so good, and they won't be around much longer.
Above is a Small Copper, whilst below is a male Brown Argus
Next are some Common Blues
I think the Butterfly on the right of the Common Blue here could of been another Brown Argus.
8 comments:
Warren,
My tubes of hearts are also going down fast but I was surprised to see on the lawn underneath that only about 50% of the hearts are eaten, the birds seem to drop a percentage of each heart. This in turn has now attracted a family of rats which I'm endeavouring to trap and dispose of.
60kgs of sunny hearts a month, that'd last 3 years at Base Camp! Mega congrats on the Ringlet and 25 species on your patch is just about half the British list - double WOW!
Well done warren.
Cheers
Davo
Fantastic photo of the juv Robin. What a stunning little bird it is.
Im envious of your Hobby sightings...numbers seem to be really down in Worcestershire this year.
Warren ,
Everything comes to he who looks , even if he is of little faith at times .
Well done on the 25 .
Keep posting them Warren! Congratualations on 25 patch butterflies, that's really great. You've made me think that I must tot up butterflies sightings on my patch although I doubt I'd make that number. Great work, Linda
I like the sight of the three Greenfinch on your feeder Warren, a species in trouble.
The pic of the juvenile Robin s great and will be on Birds2blog in the next few minutes....fully credited of course!
They've been hitting my feeders pretty hard too - you think they'd have plenty to eat out there this time of year but they're going through the seed faster than in the dead of winter!
25 butterfly species - that's amazing. I saw what would have been a lifer for me flitting around today but alas it was too windy and it never settled down for me to get a proper look and/or take some photos.
Well done wth the Ringlet, Warren.
Wish my feeders were that busy. I can count on one hand how many birds are at mine, at any one time.
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