Monday 27 October 2008

Now the clocks have gone back, I get the light back on the walk into work, much more civilized! This morning the sky was full of birds, dominated by WOOD PIGEONS all going south, two REDWING flocks went west, about 30 birds in each flock, and small parties, of 3-4 birds, of SKYLARK were also going west, but some dropped down into the maize stubble, 3 PHEASANT called loudly as they too dropped into the stubble. As I walked through the college grounds COAL TIT and GOLDCREST called and a MISTLE THRUSH was singing.
The flip side of the clocks going back is the afternoons get shorter, so I'll have to eat my lunch a bit quicker! Saying that, as I ate my sandwich, I was watching the feeders and had a MARSH TIT on the sunflower hearts, a JAY picking up the dropped bits, and a GREAT SPOTTED WOODPECKER on the peanuts, a great little threesome.
Once out, I walked to the lake via the wet woods, the small holding just before the wet woods had a feeding flock of around 5 GOLDCREST, BLUE and GREAT TITS and a TREECREEPER, all in a hawthorne hedge. The woods held a few CHAFFINCH, which I scanned for Brambling, but none were seen. The lake was empty, someone must have got there before me, but a small flock of HERRING GULLS flew low over. I made my way over to Migrant Alley, stopping off to see if the Barn Owl was in, but it wasn't. A hours watching at migrant alley, and I saw feeding in the stubbles, 30-40 LINNET, maybe half a dozen MEADOW PIPIT, 16 SKYLARK and an impressive 62 PIED WAGTAIL. Also seen, going over, were SPARROWHAWK, BLACK HEADED GULL, more HERRING GULLS, a CORMORANT and a KESTREL which stopped of to hunt.

Above. A ROBIN, sometimes they just pose!
ABOVE. A Blue Tit, one of the feeding flock seen at the smallholding.








The 3 photo's above are of the Kestrel that was hunting over Migrant Alley


Above. Is the flock of Herring Gull going over the lake area, and below is a group of Linnets, over the stubbles.









1 comment:

Greenie said...

Warren ,
Good to hear a cheerful post again .
It may not be the rarest bird , but that Robin shot is perfection .