I spent 3 hours out on my patch, mostly around the Greenhouse grounds and Migrant Alley, but did make an effort to visit the lakes just in case :-)
There wasn't too much to get excited about, with no additions to the months list, however at least the COOT remains on the lakes, where the KINGFISHER was once again active too. Most of the regular common woodland species were found as I hung around the lake area fruitlessly hoping for something to drop onto the water. GOLDCREST numbers seem to be increasing, three different pairs were seen, plus 4 more were hanging around with a LONG TAILED TIT flock, which also had a TREECREEPER and a NUTHATCH with them. GREAT SPOTTED WOODPECKER, GREEN WOODPECKER, BULLFINCH, JAY, REDWING, MISTLETHRUSH and FIELDFARE were the best of the rest of my sightings.
At the Greenhouses the LESSER REDPOLLS were again the most numerous species, but small numbers of CHAFFINCH, GREENFINCH, GOLDFINCH and SISKIN were also about, the only YELLOWHAMMER seen there today was a flyover, but no Linnets were found. The female KESTREL had returned to her position and the GREY WAGTAIL was also about. It was good to see 5 SONGTHRUSHES in the area too.
A scan out over Migrant Alley was had, where a few constantly flushed BLACK HEADED GULLS tried to feed and one or two MEADOW PIPITS moved around the sheep pasture. A large skein of 65 GREYLAG GEESE flew NE, plus 2 CORMORANTS flew over, headed North.
I took a few pics of the finches feeding on the sunflower hearts that I put along the hedgerow and on an old wooden pallet, thanks go to a blog reading friend, who has sent along 50 KG of seed, I should now be able to provide supplementary feeding until the end of the year at least :-)
Chaffinch getting stuck in to the sunflower hearts!
Another waits his turn
A dozen or so Lesser Redpoll didn't hang about, I watched one feeding for ages, how can they consume so much!
Up above, in the hedge, a couple of BLACKBIRDS picked the last of the Hawthorne Berries
5 comments:
You do make me laugh, a list of birds today that many of us would love to see and there's you fed up to hell.
This is gonna seem silly but in clear blue skies and sunshine at 8.30 on the reserve this morning, I was so warm I had to take my coat off and carry it. Stayed like that all day and I had a bumblebee feeding on flowers in the garden 'safternoon.
Really like the blackbird feeding on hawthorne.
Derek,
Does it read like I was fed up to hell ? I didn't intend it too, although I was fed up to hell with the bloody dreary weather, especially as the forecast says sunny periods!
Wilma,
I had to wait for quite some time for that Blackbird to pose like that :-) LoL
Warren, "there wasn't much to get excited about" made it seem, despite a long list of attractive birds, that you was fed up.
It's something we all experience when we get a bit blaise about the birds that are common to us on our patch every day but birds that would excite somebody else. I take Marsh Harriers, Short-eared Owls, White-fronted Geese, etc. as normal but you would rave about a S.E.O coming through your patch.
As for the weather, well we all get pissed off when it's sunny down the road but crap where we are.
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