It was bright, sunny and frosty this morning, an ideal morning for a full patch walk.
After a couple of short patch visits, one on Friday and one on Saturday, in which GREY HERON (46) and REDWING (47) were added to the months list respectively, todays full patch walk proved to be a really poor visit. Just 31 species were recorded, the lowest ever species tally for a full patch walk in the 15 years of recording on my patch, and believe me, some of those walks have been undertaken in much dire conditions than todays!
Much of the walk was almost birdless, especially out on the farmland areas of my patch, with Migrant Alley, the Ashes Lane Fields and the Pub Fields only yielding the likes of ROOK, CARRION CROW, MAGPIE, JACKDAW, and STARLING between them, MEADOW PIPIT, SKYLARK, BLACK HEADED GULL and HERRING GULL were the only flyovers.
Many of the common and regular species went unseen at the wooded parts of my patch, NUTHATCH, GOLDCREST, BULLFINCH, SISKIN and LONG TAILED TIT turned out for the scarcer species, but the likes of Great Spotted Woodpecker, Stock Dove, Pheasant, Coal Tit, Greenfinch, Mistlethrush, Treecreeper, Redwing and Fieldfare were all missing today.
No raptors were seen, nor were there any Geese or Owls, things can only improve...surely!
I did add SPARROWHAWK (48) to the months list later in the afternoon when one visited my garden feeding station, not much consolation though :-(
6 comments:
That doesn't sound too good does it? Let's hope they were just hiding up. I'm after just the more more species now. Then that will be a result.
Marc,
I'm trying to convince myself it was all the fireworks that have driven them away!
I know how you feel when, on a day that had the lowest tally for 15 years, you have to say something like 'much of the walk was almost birdless' and 'things can only improve surely'.
Keep on keeping on Warren, there's a good time coming....honest.
You'll be happier when a flock of waxwings visits Warren
Fingers crossed
Cheers
DaveyMan
I'm listening out for that trilling call davyman :-)
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