The new month kicked off overcast, dull and misty, with very little wind.
As usual, the first of the month brought about a full patch walk, in which 40 bird species were found, an about average tally for November. Some regularly seen species went unseen, such as Treecreeper, Stock Dove, Greenfinch, Mistlethrush, Redwing, Pheasant and Sparrowhawk, but to compensate, I recorded a few scarcer patch birds, such as a KINGFISHER at the Lakes, a GREY WAGTAIL around the adjacent out buildings, plus a couple of fly over LESSER REDPOLL that called as they flew over the nearby Scrubby Woods, also, a CORMORANT flew over.
A couple of YELLOWHAMMER were seen outside the Greenhouse copse, another species that can now be classed as a patch scarcity, gone are the days when flocks of 40-60 could be seen out on the arable fields, diving to and from the hedgerows, but then, the arable fields are now silage and the hedgerows are barely worth the name!
KESTREL and BUZZARD showed for the Raptors, plus HERRING GULL and BLACK HEADED GULL for the Larids. Not much else of note was found, a few MEADOW PIPITS are hanging around the Ashes Lane Fields, they may hang about for a few weeks yet, depending on the weather, plus a small passage of WOODPIGEON and FIELDFARE was observed heading south.
2 comments:
Warren, we used to have Yellowhammers on Sheppey until 15 years ago and then the last small colony died out. The habitat that they lived in remains exactly now as it did 15 years ago, so it isn't always habitat destruction as you regularly cite.
Derek,
Habitat destruction is the main cause, other factors are involved, but habitat is the most influential factor for bird population decline, many BTO long term studies testify to it.
Post a Comment