Thursday 22 January 2009

I saw one of the MARSH TITS at the garden feeders this afternoon while eating lunch, but I couldn't make out if it had a ring on or not, as it was in and out very quickly. I'll have to keep an eye out just to make sure the one that flew into the window has survived.
After lunch it was back out onto the patch, I spent more time in the wet woods today, in the hope of finding a Lesser Spotted Woodpecker, but without success. There were however 5 GOLDCREST, 2 TREECREEPER, a COAL TIT and a few BLUE and GREAT TITS, in a feeding flock, the latter was mimicking the calls of the Marsh Tit very convincingly. At least 3 TEAL were on the pools, which are now as full as i've ever seen them after all the rain we've had, and there's apparently another inch on the way tonight! A quick walk around the lake area produced just 14 MALLARD, and a MOORHEN, with a flyover male SPARROWHAWK.
I walked back through the tree nursery, which was empty of birds, and over to Migrant Alley. Again, as in the past couple of days, it was alive with birds, mainly of REDWING, FIELDFARE and STARLING, all on the Maize stubble, probably over a thousand birds were feeding together. As I stood and scanned the field, a GREY WAGTAIL flew over, and 5 BULLFINCH at least were in the old Raspberry canes. A little while on I noticed a large flock, far away to the north, I looked through my bins and found they were starlings, thousands of them. wheeling and morphing into different shapes, just like on telly! Then they all suddenly seemed to panic, and flew tight together, before splitting into two groups, a Sparrowhawk or maybe the Peregrine had tried in vain to catch a meal, and only managed to split the flock, a great spectacle to watch!

Below: A DUNNOCK sat at up on the hedgerow at Migrant Alley, and posed for a Pic.
Below: This GREEN WOODPECKER was feeding on the lawn of the large house, by the lake

and last of all, evidence of spring! The Honeysuckle in the woods is shooting new growth.



3 comments:

Ken. said...

Hi Warren. A nice selection of birds again, well done you. Are you sure that Woodpecker isn't having forty winks in the sunshine?

Greenie said...

Warren ,
I like the Dunnock shot .
Also liked the morphing Starling flock story .
Good to see the Honeysuckle .
First Snowdrops just in flower in the garden .

Anonymous said...

Warren, this green woodpecker is another new bird to me. Its' behaviour reminds me of the Northern Flicker's that often visit the lawns in this region.