In the good conditions I carried out the tenth and last full patch walk of November, where I was fortunate enough to add, from the 43 species recorded, a new species for the months list, that being a LITTLE EGRET (63), when one flew over the Greenhouse Grounds. The November list is now equal that of November 2009 and at 63 it's the eighth highest from the fifteen Novembers recorded so far, however, it is still 3 below the mean average species total for the previous 5 Novembers.
A GREY WAGTAIL was feeding around the Greenhouse Grounds, where the KESTREL pair were also seen hunting. Singles of SKYLARK, SISKIN and MEADOW PIPIT, plus a few BLACK HEADED GULLS and HERRING GULLS were all noted as I walked a circuit of the sheep pasture and paddocks of Migrant Alley, but nothing of note was on the fields.
A BUZZARD flew low over the Ashes Lane Fields as I was en route to the Wet Woods, lakes and Scrubby Woods, where most of the regulars and semi regulars showed up, apart from Stock Dove, the best of those, as always, being GOLDCREST, TREECREEPER, NUTHATCH, LONG TAILED TIT, COAL TIT, BULLFINCH, GREAT SPOTTED WOODPECKER, GREEN WOODPECKER and the CHIFFCHAFF that was once again seen along the banks of the main lake - nothing of note on any of the lakes, though a CORMORANT flew over and thought about visiting, but had a change of heart.
The Small Holding Area was good for a few more of the common regular species, as well as 6-8 FIELDFARE and 2 MISTLETHRUSHES.
Female Kestrel on a telephone pole along Ashes Lane
One of the ''Common regular'' species :-)
2 comments:
Hi Warren.
Good to see that you managed to a another species to your months list. I never realised that you have been recording birds in your patch for so long. It is good to know that there are people like you out there who do this, you and others like you are the ones who knows how certain bird species are doing ie increasing, declining due to changing to farming, forestry work. lack of or ample specific foods. Over the years you must have noticed that a particular species has thrived, and also others that have declined drastically.
Like the Kestrel photo.
Hi Ken,
Indeed, I have noticed much change in the local bird community, some bad, like the diminishing farmland bird species, some not so bad, like the increase in Buzzard and Little egret sightings.
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