Saturday 16 February 2008

It was bright, still and frosty this morning, but the cold easterly breeze picked up around 8:30. The first birds encountered were the usual early songsters, MISTLE THRUSH, SONGTHRUSH, ROBIN, DUNNOCK and WREN, joined by CHAFFINCH and GREENFINCH.
It was however generally a slow day, only 42 species bothered to turn out! I put this down to the disturbance over my patch in the past few days. some of which was due to the ''tidying'' of areas around the tree nursey. This really angers me, these areas are some of the last 'wild-ish' places left for our resident birds to breed, as well as our summer visitors. What is the problem with a patch of bramble and hawthorne ?
Anyway back to the birds - 2 CANADA GEESE and 8 GREY LAG GEESE were on the golf course, with the usual MALLARD and MOORHEN in the rough. Another 4 Canada Geese were at the lake area, along with a GREY HERON, this area was disturbed by the two large dogs which live in the nearby house, continually yapping, before I arrived. There were 5 TEAL in the woods with another pair of Mallard, and my old friend the MARSH TIT looked spectacular among the blossoms, as it fed in a blackthorne tree. Migrant alley had a 100 or so FIELDFARE spread widely over the pasture, with just a few REDWING. The only other winter visitors of note were 20 or so SISKIN in the alders along the stream behind the college.
I didn't get any pics today! nothing really took my eye, maybe tommorow!

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