I checked out the lakes first thing this morning, still hoping for a Coot or mandarin duck to turn up for the months list, but again, there were only MALLARDS and MOORHENS present, although I did get glimpses of a KINGFISHER as well :-)
A search of the adjacent scrubby Woods for a Woodcock wasn't successful, I did however see a BUZZARD fly from its roost, plus a flock of 6-8 LONG TAILED TITS were found, with them were a couple of GOLDCRESTS and a COAL TIT.
I walked through the Wet Woods, the Small Holding area and along High House lane, seeing TREECREEPER, NUTHATCH, REDWING, GREAT SPOTTED WOODPECKER and GREEN WOODPECKER of note.
Arriving at the Greenhouse Grounds, in now pouring rain, I found the LESSER REDPOLL, GOLDFINCH and SISKIN flock, along with a few LINNETS, GREENFINCH and CHAFFINCH, but I only saw 1 YELLOWHAMMER. The nearby poly tunnels have now had the plastic rooves removed, revealing tens of thousands of Strawberry plants, these were attracting a few finches, but also I saw a couple of MEADOW PIPITS and a GREY WAGTAIL, as well as a few BLUE TITS, GREAT TITS, DUNNOCKS and BLACKBIRDS.
A quick scan of Migrant Alley was made, where the BLACK HEADED GULL flock had dwindled to around 40 birds, with them was a COMMON GULL, but not the hoped for Med Gull.
I was home by 10:30hrs, so spent some time watching the garden feeders, something ive not spent any great amount of time doing for a while, but I was pleasantly surprised with the 23 species that I recorded.
Peak counts were as follows :-
Blue Tit - 14
Great Tit - 4
Coal Tit - 2
Long Tailed Tit -3 ( first this month)
House Sparrow - 4 ( First this month, 24th garden species for this November)
Greenfinch - 6
Goldfinch - 10
Chaffinch - 7
Starling - 10
Collared Dove - 3
Goldcrest - 2
Nuthatch - 2
Plus singles of, Redwing, Songthrush, Blackbird, Woodpigeon, Magpie, Jackdaw, Wren, Robin, Dunnock and Great Spotted Woodpecker. Of couse the Sparrowhawk turned up, but not until gone 13:00hrs, from when on everything went very quiet!!
It's frustrating to see all these birds at close quarters and not have the light to photograph them, but here's a few starling and Great Spotted Woodpecker images from the other day :-)
4 comments:
A garden list that I would die for, just once a year would do me. Watching just large numbers of House Sparrows and doves all day does get a tad boring.
By the way, very warm for November it wasn't here on Sheppey today and with 50mph Northerlies due for Saturday things look set to change.
Heart-spangled starling. The markings on the starlings in North America are not so distinct.
Derek,
The birds around know where to come for a bit of supplementary food :-)
Yes, as you say, a cold snap arriving at the weekend, personally I would have it last all winter :-)
Wilma,
An interesting observation, the starlings lose much of their speckles in the summer though.
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