Sunday morning special.

Had a walk around the local lanes this morning and this was the list before 11 o'clock.
Magpie,House Sparrow,Blackbird,Chaffinch,Red Kite,Willow Warbler,Hoopoe,Honey Buzzard,Common Buzzard,Hobby,Lesser Kestrel,Green Woodpecker,Wren,Black Redstart,Collared Dove,Grey Heron,Blue Tit,Jay.
and probably a few i have forgotten!!

Still trying to get good pics of the Oriole's but they are very hard to pin down.

Here we go again!!!!!!!!!!!

Snow gone but guess what happens when snow melts.

The Derwent has well and truly burst its banks and the wind is making the temperature feel 3-4 degrees lower,
Plenty of birds around all the usual suspects Lapwing,Wigeon,Teal etc
Had a quick look around the local paths and came across a large flock of mixed birds (100+) consisted of mixed sparrows Dunnock, Chaffinch, Redpoll, Siskin, Brambling, Yellowhammer, Linnet, Corn Bunting,Greenfinch, High above a female sparrow hawk was giving as good as it got with a single corvid.

Fieldfare in good numbers as were Redwing.

20+ Long tailed tits were busy in the hedgerows and a single GSW was calling from the top of a telegraph pole.

A huge flock of golden plover and lapwings were noted at least 150 birds in the local fields.Rooks numerous as were the local pheasant and partridge populations. (over spill from the shoots??)

Will be back out tomorrow for more.

7 Barn Owls!!!

Had a quick walk around the local patch and managed to catch a large flock of mixed birds was delighted to see the following in the flock corn bunting, bullfinch,brambling,chaffinch,greenfinch,goldcrest,yellowhammer,reedbunting, I then moved on and watched the hungry blackbirds getting stuck into the remaining hawthorn berries. A song thrush flew across my path and it was good to see large flocks of fieldfare and redwing still hanging around.

moved on and came across not one but three barn owls good to see they are coping with the floods etc.stacks of wigeon and teal and a good flock of pinkfoots (50) making a racket.

moved onto skipwith common to be greeted by two more barn owls not much else to shout about but it was an interesting walk.

Went back to the village to see another barn owl fly across the road and into the shrubs, made it to the GS hide for the last hour and watched a very agile dabchick paddling around outside the hide.A big flock of dunlin (60+) were observed trying to find a roost for the night and the usual gull roost was later than normal but still big numbers.Whoopers and mutes were visible but no bewicks seen.

driving back to the bridge barn owl number 7 flew across the road. cracking afternoon!!

New Year New Patch

After watching from my kitchen window 9 collared doves and 30+ sparrows dispatch my expensive bird seed (supported by a rather fat woodpigeon)  I decided to have a look around the village.Made my way to Bubwith bridge and noted a female sprawk trying to finish eating a blackbird. At the bridge there was the usual wigeon,teal,mallards lots of crows and rooks playing in the thermals at the newly exposed field (water is going down slowly!).

Then decided to have a look around the village church, fieldfare and redwing active in the shrubs which are still surprisingly heavy with fruit.Big numbers of blackbirds and robins as well as the usual noisy wrens. Walked towards dingle dell and could see 15-20 whoopers at the back of the farm (no wonder I can not see them from the bridge!!)

Moving on 40+ rooks were very vocal and huge flocks of starlings and woodpigeon were noted.
Single magpie keeping a beady eye on proceedings as was a number of jackdaw.I then came across the following flock approx 100 birds.

Mainly sparrows but also in with them dunnock, 4-6 yellowhammer,chaffinch,greeninch,brambling,bullfinch,and siskin, they were swooping onto the field feeding and then darting back into the hawthorn.Brilliant to watch even if the light was poor.

 

A further stroll and a bird which I have never seen in the flesh and one that gets people all worked up.

 

now I guess i get it.Very nice to see and was in fact a bit of a poser,obviously very hungry.

Moving on and leaving him to his afternoon tea,

I had another big sprawk fly across my path and a very wet field with over 20 moorehen in it. 4 more yellow hammers and a GSW completed a very pleasant walk.

 

Spent the last 30 minutes in the GS hide pintail,teal,greylags whoopers,mutes,robin,wren,BHG, big juv herring gulls, loads of lapwings and the usual flypast by the ever reliable barn owl.

 

I make that 30+ differnt birds for a two hour stroll.