Another four hour full patch walk was undertaken from 6am, and today a good total of 51 species were seen, none of them new for the month or the year, but just about every resident species was seen, just Spotted Flycatcher, Canada Goose and Skylark were not picked up today.
There were few changes from yesterday, a mixed feeding party found in the College Grounds contained LONG TAILED TITS, NUTHATCH, GOLDCREST, and a family of COAL TITS, also at the College were a pair of MISTLE THRUSH, a species not seen yesterday.
Two Gull species flew over Migrant Alley as I traversed it outwards and home wards, a LESSER BLACK BACKED and a HERRING GULL, less common, was a CORMORANT, just the 3rd seen this month.
A YELLOWHAMMER was heard singing from the patch boundary along Ashes lane, only the second record in two months! The large gardens along the Lane had another family of Nuthatch and Coal Tits, plus a TREECREEPER, but I couldn't see any fledged young with the latter. A new species was added for the patch 'confirmed successfully breeding' list though, PIED WAGTAIL an adult was seen attending two young on the Greenhouse Complex roof.
The Lakes and Scrubby Woods held little to excite me, the GREY HERON was back on the smallest lake, and the GREYLAG GEESE goslings get bigger by the day now. Raptors for the day were represented by the KESTREL and a SPARROWHAWK, i've still to find that Hobby for the month!
Butterflies were few, but Small White, Meadow Brown, Large and Small Skipper and a superb looking Purple Hairstreak was again seen, too high up for a photo though :-(
The Swallows on the fence line over at the Tree Nursery had doubled to six in number, and I had some fun photographing them being fed
Where's dinner ?
Here it comes!
Me me me, me first
Mmmmmm........thanks!Also caught on the camera was this Nuthatch from the College
and this Long Tailed Tit with it.
A couple of Flutter photo's, below is a Meadow Brown
and lastly a Small Skipper
and this Long Tailed Tit with it.
A couple of Flutter photo's, below is a Meadow Brown
and lastly a Small Skipper
7 comments:
You did have fun with those Swallows Warren, great photos!!
A visit to a spot which should be teeming with butterflies did not produce even one, plenty of bees but not one flutter, it is getting very worrying here!
They may be there Songbird, but just hidden up waiting for some warmth, and this wind to drop!
Another 'full' post Warren, with some excellent pics not least the Swallows.
Well, see , now please send me something!! I'm stuck at 78 species!!
I know I still did not see the puffin and guillemot but still it is getting pretty hard to get above 80 ;-)
But got some nice shots today for the first summer day ;-)
Nice shots you got and the swallow are exquisite!
Good species total Warren, I'm struggling to get over 45 on recent visits, like the Swallows :-)
Fantastic series of Swallow photos Warren...nice work there!
AWESOME swallow shots Warren!!
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