Thursday 11 April 2013

Heavy overnight rain had fizzled out into a wetting drizzle early this morning, and it didn't take me long to realise I was wasting my time being out in it! Only a LITTLE OWL calling from the Greenhouse Copse was of any note, heard whilst I checked the pasture and paddocks at Migrant Alley, where just 3 BLACK HEADED GULLS and the ROOKS were present.

Later in the morning I took a walk over to the lakes and Scrubby Woods, where on the water there were 2 pairs of GREYLAG GEESE, 3 pairs of CANADA GEESE, one male MALLARD and the feral BARNACLE GOOSE, I found the COOT pair feeding their young, and was quite surprised to see six little black balls of downy feathers, I suspect that only 2 maybe thre will reach fledging age though.
One of the six Coot young  :-)
I spent some time in the area of the Scrubby Woods, I was hoping to here a Blackcap singing, but in the still very dull and overcast conditions just a few of the regulars sang, MISTLETHRUSH, DUNNOCK, ROBIN, SONGTHRUSH, BLACKBIRD and GREAT TIT were doing their best to make light of the weather. I heard then saw a pair of TREECREEPERS and a NUTHATCH, then 14 FIELDFARE dropped into an Oak for a few moments before setting off again, if they hang about for 3 more days they will be the latest staying Fieldfare I have recorded  :-)

I decided to spend a couple of hours over on my seat at Migrant Alley, I first walked around the pasture and paddocks to check for any Wheatear but that proved fruitless, so i perched up on my seat to see what passed over. In the 2 and a quarter hours I was there, the sun almost broke through a couple of times, but ultimately it failed to do so, and I recorded, of note, 3 SKYLARKS, 7 single SISKIN heading NW, 5 single, one pair, and one group of 8 MEADOW PIPITS also heading NW, and the star bird for the month so far a COMMON TERN (81,62). These are only occasional flyover migrant species here, and I do well to get one or two in any year, so far 6 out of the 12 years of recording have Common Tern on the year list, well pleased with that sighting  :-)

Raptors seen whilst I watched the sky were -  a single COMMON BUZZARD, both the KESTREL pair, and of course the SPARROWHAWKS  :-)

I need just 19 more species to get to 100, but can I get them before May 17th, and set a new record for the fastest 100 species of the year  ?  :-)
Blog brightener from my garden feeders - male CHAFFINCH

10 comments:

Alan Pavey said...

Common Tern!! well done, a bird not even on my radar for Sissinghurst :-)

Warren Baker said...

Hi Alan,
Watch the sky at this time of year - could get anything.............eventually!

ShySongbird said...

Well done on the Common Tern Warren :-) How lovely to see the Coot chick, I wasn't expecting to see them yet. There are still a few Fieldfares hanging on on my patch too.

Fingers crossed for your record :-)

Warren Baker said...

Hi Songbird,
I was lucky to get a photo of the Coot chick, as they are on the lake i have no access to, they happened to be right at the edge that i can photograph though ;-)

Anonymous said...

Well done with the Common Tern, mate.

Pete Woodruff said...

Good luck to fledging for the Coot young, and excellent you had the Common Tern Warren.

Marc Heath said...

A good inland record Warren, certainly not a lot around at the moment.

Adam said...

cute baby bird

Lancashire and Lakeland Outback Adventure Wildlife Safaris said...

Nice cootlet and well done with the tern - rain at this time of year is always bad news!

I need just 19 more species to get to 100, but can I get them before May 17th, and set a new record for the fastest 100 species of the year? Now wouldn't that be something considering the 'pain' of the winter...go for it!

Cheers

DaveyMan

Simian said...

hi warren
quite nice then that you still have some definites to come, blackcap etc...reckon you should do the hundred as im sure its got to go crazy before long, those birds have got to get here and do their thing...it would be nice to get out and do my thing without getting all Scott and Oates about it...
good luck...will be watching the numbers creep up...
graham