Saturday 17 August 2013

Low cloud slowly broke up during this mornings visit, only for it to return late morning and give some light rain eventually.

During the 4 hour patch walk, just 41 species were recorded, so it was another below par visit for an August day, it was however not without its highlights, the best of which was seeing 2 YELLOW WAGTAILS fly over the sheep pasture at Migrant Alley, where I watched over 100 GREYLAG GEESE and at least 60 CANADA GEESE fly over the same fields in varying size skeins, not quite as exciting as Yellow wagtails, but an awesome spectacle to behold as they noisily fly low over  :-)

Most of the warbler activity centered around the Greenhouse Grounds, with at least 7 WHITETHROATS, 3 BLACKCAPS and 2 CHIFFCHAFFS seen, they were accompanied by the regular residents of BLACKBIRDS, SONGTHRUSHES, WRENS, DUNNOCKS, ROBINS, CHAFFINCH, GREENFINCH, GOLDFINCH, a single male BULLFINCH, as well as BLUE TITS GREAT TITS, LINNETS, a GREEN WOODPECKER with 2 young in tow, and a GREAt SPOTTED WOODPECKER. Once again, as on previous mornings, I could here a YELLOWHAMMER singing from behind the Greenhouse Copse in the High House Lane area, also a COAL TIT sang from an adjacent large garden. Just one KESTREL was seen around the Greenhouses today.

My visit to the Scrubby woods via the Small Holding and Wet Woods was undertaken with the high hope of finding those two species that should be on the months list by now, but aren't, namely Long Tailed Tit and Mistle Thrush, but still none were found, in fact the only birds added to the daylist from these parts of my patch were JAY, GOLDCREST, TREECREEPER, NUTHATCH, MOORHEN and a lone flyover BLACK HEADED GULL.

Just one photo was taken this morning, that was of this Wren, one of a family party seen at the Greenhouse Grounds.
Young Wren
Not much left in the 'Blog Folder' now either, just these garden bird shots I took last week, I better get clicking again !!
Immature Greenfinch
Immature Goldfinch
Immature STARLING just getting its adult plumage


2 comments:

Simian said...

hello Warren
you may not have taken many photos but as usual your 'stock' shines through...the juvenile starling is a cracking shot!
certainly not complaining re the species count at whetstead, i just used the book title as it was sooooo quiet...
a longer visit today turned up 2 wheatear which was great and the common sandpiper has returned, i wonder if its the same one that over wintered here...will have to get a ring on it!
im in the middle of some d.i.y jobs myself to free me up a bit...
hope you catch up with the 'whitearse' soon...
graham

Warren Baker said...

Thanks Graham,
The 'White arses' are very late here this year. I'm wondering if the change in the field uses have put them off visiting this area now :-(