The final patch visit of June was undertaken in some fine, warm and sunny conditions, I visited the arable fields with the hedgerows and ditches via the Greenhouse Grounds and Migrant Alley, then went on to the Scrubby Woods and lakes, a four hour wander, that like yesterday, produced a disappointing total of just 41 bird species, however not being a full patch walk, and without a sky watch I suppose a few species would have been missed :-)
Not much to say about what was found, but like yesterday the calling BUZZARDS soaring up high were a highlight, and it was interesting watching the interaction of a family party of both NUTHATCH and COAL TIT in the Scrubby Woods, the young of which were trying to ''out beg'' each other as the respective parents came to feed them.
Only the regular summer birds were encountered, SWALLOWS, SWIFTS, CHIFFCHAFFS, COMMON WHITETHROATS and BLACKCAPS, though I suspect the Lesser Whitethroats may be lurking around the Wooded Headland still.
Other notables were the KESTREL pair up hunting, a pair of BULLFINCH, a fly over GREY HERON and a LITTLE OWL which called from the Greenhouse Copse.
With nothing being added to this months list, it finishes on 66 species, exactly the mean average for the past 5 June tallies and 2 ahead of the 12 year mean, so not too bad really, plus it was only two species behind the record June tally of 2010, putting it in 4th place overall. Looking at the 12 year combined list for June, it now sits at 88, and was incremented by the Egyptian Goose this year, so maybe I could have expected on or two more species :-)
The year list is stagnating on 97 species, but tomorrow the new month begins, July can often bring the first of the returning summer Migrants, Sand Martin, Whimbrel, Stonechat, Whinchat, and Wheatear, have all passed through here during July, not very often, but it can happen, any three of the first 4 on that list will bring up the 100 species for the year :-)
I got a few photo's today, but not as many as I would have liked ;-)
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| Immature ROBIN |
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| Azure Damselfly |
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| Large Red Damselfly |
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| COLLARED DOVE from my garden |
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| Immature Starling, also from my garden |
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| Adult Starling |
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| Last of all, a smooth newt, I snapped it at my garden pond as it came up for air :-) |
3 comments:
The start of a new month, all the enthusiasm will start again.
Newtiful!
Cheers
DaveyMan
You seem to do well for Large Red Damselflies on your patch Warren. Great photos, we have had constant high winds here making insect photography really difficult.
Great newt capture!
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