Once again I got round for a full patch walk, the fifth of the months ten. I found slightly fewer bird species than yesterday with 43 turning out this morning, which is around average. Nothing new for the month or year lists was found, but a few patch highlights were noted, such as the large mixed feeding flock on the Ashes Lane Fields, it comprised of at least 150 FIELDFARE, 20 REDWING and 100 STARLINGS, this is the month when Fieldfare and Redwing peak on my patch, after the next week or so they will dwindle away and become quite scarce in March.
To see three KESTRELS was a bit of a novelty for my patch, two males were displaying to a female over the Scrubby Woods, calling loudly all the while. The nearby lakes had the pair of MUTE SWANS on the ornamental lake, maybe they were the ones that bred here in 2014, not much chance of them doing so again this year though, as the lake has been totally cleared of the weed they feed on, hopefully I will be proved wrong though. The other two lakes had only a pair of MALLARDS and a few MOORHENS present, unsurprising with the gas cannons going off every 15 minutes in a nearby field!
Not much else of note was found today, a few SISKINS at the Greenhouse Grounds and a flock of 100+ BLACK HEADED GULLS at Migrant Alley which had 2 COMMON GULLS and 15 HERRING GULLS with them. Noteworthy flyovers today included a pair of CANADA GEESE, a BUZZARD and a SKYLARK.
I took just one photo today, that was of the SPARROWHAWK that alighted next to one of my garden feeders, not my best of efforts, being taken through the double glazing and in the poor light!
Garden Sprawk! Hope it doesn't put off the dozen plus LESSER REDPOLLS from their daily visits!
I've also got some Black Headed Gull images to show though, taken on my sevenoaks trip yesterday
1st Winter Black Headed Gull
5 comments:
Birds get used to gas guns surprisingly quickly, or at least they here on Sheppey. It's quite common to see many hundreds of Brent Geese sharing the same field with active gas guns.
Dereks,
Begs the question ''whats the point of having them then'' ! Just another way farmers make themselves unpopular with rural residents.............
Ooooops,
Derek, that should read ''SOME'' rural residents :-)
Well I'd rather that they remain satisfied with the gas guns than to go on and request a licence to shoot a small amount of Brent Geese, which because mo one monitors that amount, means they shoot that amount over and over.
I agree with that sentiment Derek, its the same with cormorants !
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