Saturday 30th October 2010 - Shenstone

Started my tour of the patch this afternoon at Back Lane. 13 Skylarks were seen: 6 heading NE, 6 heading ESE and a single bird was up singing above the stubble field. A ♀ Sparrowhawk was also seen over this field. Nearby, 11 Stock Doves were on the plough along Butts Lane and a single Pied Wagtail was on the roof of a barn at Eastfields Farm.

Stanklyn Lane paddocks were very quite today, although not surprising due to the usual weekend disturbances....Horsey types, joggers and dog walkers. All that there was of note in this area was a Pied Wagtail, 2 Carrion Crows and a Green Woodpecker.

From the paddocks I went further down Stanklyn Lane and did a walk around the edge of the beet field. Whilst on this walk, 6 Redwings flew over heading NW and the Common Buzzards were up soaring. Also seen in this field were 6 Dunnocks, 1♂ Blackbird, 1(imm.) Linnet and a ♀ Chaffinch.

The 'model aircraft field' along Heath Lane was a right off today as they were well flying their model aircraft...damned inconsiderate of them if you ask me (just kidding, it actually stops this field being used for much worse, so the occasional disturbance is worth it in the scheme of things).

From the aircraft field I headed up Heath Lane to the paddock. Shortly after I arrived a flock of 7 Fieldfares flew over heading NW, 14 Skylarks flew W and 27 Starlings flew S. In the paddock itself were 2 Goldfinches, 2 Robins, 2 Carrion Crows and a Magpie. In the stubble field adjacent to the paddock were a flock of c.120 Linnets that kept flying up and wheeling around before settling on the ground. On the hedgerow opposite the paddock a Red Admiral was seen feeding on the Ivy flowers.

My last stop today was on Witch Lane and the thing that struck me the most was the numbers of Stock Dove feeding in the fields. Altogether I counted 40 Stock Doves. This may not sound like a big number but it is quite considerable for this part of the patch. Also of note in the fields were 23 Lapwings, c.200 Starlings, 9 Black-headed Gulls and 2 Grey Herons. A single Skylark was up singing.

Red Admiral on Ivy - Heath Lane, 30th Oct 2010:

Thusday 28th October 2010 - Shenstone

After saying yesterday that there was no sign of any Redwings or Fieldfares through over the patch, I had a fair few over during today's visit.

I checked out the area around Butts Lane/Back Lane first. This area of the patch was relatively quiet at first glance other than the 120+ Wood Pigeons feeding in the stubble. After a little while I had 2 Skylarks (one was up singing), 1 Jay and a fly over Pied Wagtail & Meadow Pipit.

For something a bit different I decided to walk the periphery of Stanklyn Woods. Its private land so I can only skirt 2 sides along which the lane runs. Here I picked up a Great-spotted Woodpecker and a Tree Creeper. I also saw a Marsh Tit in a tit flock alongside Blue, Great and Long-tailed Tits. Picking up Marsh Tit was quite pleasing as they are not exactly thick on the ground around the patch. Also on this section of the patch I had a flock of 13 Redwings fly over heading NW.

Whilst walking further along Stanklyn Lane towards the paddocks I had a mixed thrush flock of c.150 Redwing and 20 Fieldfare over heading W. About fifteen minutes or so later a flock of 33 Fieldfare flew over, also heading W. The paddocks themselves were quiet with only 3 Mistle Thrushes and a Green Woodpecker present. Also seen over Stanklyn Lane were a Common Buzzard and a Jay.

Heath Lane model aircraft field had 9 Skylarks over heading W and a Kestrel was seen hovering at the rear of the field. On the wires next to the paddock were c.70 Linnets and a Mistle Thrush. A flock of 12 Fieldfares flew over heading NW.

Witch Lane was unusually quiet with the only birds of note being 2 Grey Herons and c.60 Wood Pigeons in one of the fields and 2 Common Buzzards down on the deck in a ploughed field eating worms. Yes they really do, its probably why Buzzards are so successful and spreading so rapidly...they are adaptable when it comes to feeding habits and food types.

There were still a few insects to be seen today, especially with the Ivy flowers attracting good numbers of Wasps and small numbers of Bees. The highlight in terms of insects today though was a single Migrant Hawker Dragonfly seen zipping about at the edge of Stanklyn Wood. I only wish the little beggar would have landed so I could have got some photos. Not that it mattered as it had been quite an enjoyable visit today.

Tuesday 26th Oct 2010 - Shenstone

A damp overcast day on the patch today but I managed to get around between the downpours without getting too wet.

There seems to have been an increase in the numbers of Skylark around the patch with a large group of c.60 Skylarks in a field along Witch Lane. Also present in this area were 78 Lapwings, 61 Black-headed Gulls, c.140 Starlings, 9 Stock Doves and a single Grey Heron.

At Heath Lane model aircraft field there were 8 Pheasants (5 immature), a Common Buzzard, and a ♀ Kestrel. 3 Skylarks flew over heading West. 2 Pied Wagtails were present in Heath Lane paddock.

Stanklyn Lane beet field contained 17 Skylarks, c.120 Wood Pigeon, c.60 Starlings, 9 Magpies, 5 Carrion Crows, 1 Jay, 5 Dunnocks, 2 Robins and a Wren. A further 6 Skylarks were seen in the gallops field and a Common Buzzard was on a fence post at the paddocks. A Grey Heron was seen flying West.

There was no sign of Fieldfares or Redwings on or over the patch today.

Monday 25th Oct 2010 - Upton Warren

Today, me and the better half, decided to pop to Upton Warren NR for a few hours. We started off at the North Moors Pool and after about 20 minutes in the hide we were treated to excellent views of a Cetti's Warbler that kept coming out of the reeds add feeding in between the muddy reed stubble. A nice start to the day, as 8 times out of ten you often here a Cetti's explosive call but views are usually limited to seeing them fly from one bush and into another...in other words, over in seconds!

From the North Moors pool we walked around to the east hide at the Moors Pool. Around Amy's Marsh and the islands were 5 Common Snipe, 20 Curlews and c.60 Lapwings. Also present in this area were a number of Teal and a Grey Heron. Of note on the pool were 6 Pochards, quite a few Shoveller and small numbers of Tufted Duck. Numbers of wildfowl are now just beginning to build up for the winter.

We didn't see the elusive Bittern today, which was a shame as my wife is a big fan of the Heron family. I had best not tell her about the views I had of it the week before when I came here on my own!

Common Snipe - Upton Warren, 25th Oct 2010:

Curlew - Upton Warren, 25th October 2010:

Sunday 24th Oct 2010 - Shenstone

You know sometimes, a visit to your local patch it can be exciting with a scarce bird or interesting migrant turning up. Other times you go there is nothing unusual but still plenty of birds and bird behaviour to see and then every few visits you turn up and its a dead day. Today was one such day and from now on I am going to use a phrase I coined to describe such a day...Today Shenstone was a 'Ghost Patch'.

The highlight of today's visit was 8 Corn Buntings in the bet field along Stanklyn Lane. Corn Buntings I here you cry , they aren't ten a penny. But they are a breeding bird on my patch and are present all year round. Also present at the beet field were 69 Starlings, 7 Dunnocks, 2 Meadow Pipits, 6 Skylarks, 1 Wren and a ♀ Kestrel.

Stanklyn Lane paddocks contained a Pied Wagtail, a Common Buzzard and a Green Woodpecker. A single Skylark was up singing over the field opposite.

A ♂ Kestrel was on the wires over Heath Lane paddocks and 4 Skylarks flew over heading NW.

Witch Lane was devoid of bird life other than a single Grey Heron sat in one of the fields.

Saturday 23rd October 2010 - Shenstone

I was unable to get around the patch today but a fellow Worcestershire birder (Ed Lea) recorded a Brambling and 4 Corn Buntings at Heath Lane. Nice one Ed, it's the first Brambling of the Autumn at Shenstone.

On a different note, today I reached the milestone of 5000 visitors to the blog. I would like to say a a big thanks to all who read the blog and I hope you continue enjoy it in the future.

Cheers
Jase

Friday 22nd October 2010 - Shenstone

Today the first 2 Shoveller (1♂ & 1♀) of the winter were at Captains Pool with c.100 Canada Geese and 2 Mute Swans.


Stanklyn Lane paddocks contained 2 Pied Wagtails, 10 Goldfinches, 2 Jays and 1 Green Woodpecker. A Kestrel was over the beet field and dropped down to catch a Yellowhammer that just flew out of the way to escape by the narrowest of margins. Also at the beet field, a flock of 10 Meadow Pipits dropped in for a few minutes before flying off E. 8 Skylarks flew over heading S and 14 Long-tailed Tits were also present in the trees at the edge of the field. A Common Buzzard was also seen over Stanklyn Lane.


At Heath Lane paddocks a flock of 15 Fieldfares flew over heading NW (JK & TS). These were the first seen over/on the patch this autumn and they look resplendent as the sunlight caught them. A light-phase Common Buzzard was seen perched at the rear of an adjacent field. Also, a single Small White butterfly was seen at Heath Lane.


There was no sign of any Lapwing at Witch Lane today but I was treated to a stunning adult ♂ Peregrine sat in the middle of a field there. Unfortunately whilst I was setting up my scope on it to take some pictures the bl**dy thing flew off! Ah well, it was still a stunning bird to see and only the 2nd Peregrine that I have recorded on the patch. In other fields around Witch Lane I recorded 14 Stock Doves, 4 Red-legged Partridge and a Grey Heron.


Grey Heron - Witch Lane, 22nd Oct 2010:

Tuesday 19th October 2010 - Shenstone

The winter Lapwing flock at Witch Lane has today increased to 137 Lapwings. Also in the same field were c.300 Starlings, 4 Stock Doves and 1 Grey Heron. 4 Skylarks and 1 Common Buzzard were also seen over Witch Lane.

18 Skylarks were up over the Back Lane/Butts Lane stubble field . A Kestrel was also present.

A mixed corvid flock of c.140 Jackdaws and Rooks was in Stanklyn Lane paddocks. 12 Long-tailed Tits were seen at the beet field and a ♀ Sparrowhawk and Common Buzzard flew over.

Along Heath Lane, 8 Skylarks were seen at the model aircraft field and a Goldcrest was in the hedgerow opposite the field entrance. Heath Lane paddock contained 6 Mistle Thrushes, 1 Song Thurush, 1 Common Buzzard, 16 Goldfinches and small numbers of Chaffinch and Greenfinch. A Kestrel was seen over the large field opposite the Islamic school.

The mild weather this morning encouraged a handful of butterflies to be on the wing today. A Small Copper and a Small White were seen at Heath Lane paddock. Another Small White was seen over Stanklyn Lane beet field.

Sunday 17th October 2010 - Shenstone

This morning I spent a few hours around Shenstone getting re-aquainted after my week away. The patch was misty to start but this soon turned to clear blue sky as the sun burnt through.

A walk around the Stanklyn Lane beet field produced 9 Corn Buntings, 38 Skylarks, c.100 Linnets, 10 Long-tailed Tits, 2 Meadow Pipits and 2 Dunnocks. A charm of 11 Goldfinches was seen at Stanklyn Lane paddocks and a Green Woodpecker was also present.

Of note at Heath Lane were 2 Meadow Pipits that flew West. 6 Goldfinch were in the paddock along with 2 Jays and 1 Common Buzzard.

7 Skylarks and 1 Meadow Pipit were seen in the stubble field along Back Lane.

At Witch Lane, 76 Lapwings, 100+ Starlings, 2 Grey Herons and a Kestrel were present.

Monday 11th to Friday 15th Oct 2010 - Norfolk

As readers of this blog, you will probably know that I was away most of last week. I spent it in North Norfolk on a break with my wife and sister-in-law. The primary focus of the holiday was to do a number reserves/walks and not particularly chasing the autumn rarities. I will try not bore you with a breakdown of everything we saw, but I will summarize some of the highlights.

What was interesting, and a main reason I wanted to do Norfolk this time of year, was the overlap between departing summer migrants and arriving Scandinavian migrants. This was perhaps best summed up by our visit to Hunstanton cliffs on the way there where 2 Wheatears were seen only metres away from a Fieldfare and only minutes before we had seen a ♀ Redstart. Other incoming migrants seen in good numbers during the week were Bramblings, Siskins, Redwings, Song Thrushes and Robins. As for outgoing birds, Wheatears were seen at numerous locations throughout the week.

Wheatear - Cley, 14th Oct 2010:

Great views were obtained of North Norfolk specialities - Bearded Tits, Marsh Harriers and Barn Owls and a high point came when a flock of 11 Snow Buntings dropped in only feet away from us near Gore point at Holme Dunes.

Snow Bunting - Holme, 12th October 2010:

Waders were, as you would expect, well represented with highlights being 2 Little Stint, Curlew Sandpiper and Spotted Redshank all at Cley. A single Whimbrel was seen along the beach at Titchwell and a single Green Sandpiper was seen on the fresh water marsh there. Other waders seen in good numbers during our stay in Norfolk were Bar-tailed Godwit, Black-tailed Godwit, Grey Plover, Sanderling, Ringed Plover, Turnstone, Oystercatcher, Curlew, and Redshank. Small numbers of Lapwing and Common Snipe were also seen.

Bar-tailed Godwit - Hunstanton, 11th Oct 2010:

Curlew Sandpiper - Cley, 14th Oct 2010:

Good numbers of Pink Footed Geese had all ready returned for the winter and smaller numbers of Brent Geese were back. Wigeon and Teal were also starting to gather in large numbers but far fewer numbers of Shellduck and Pintail were present.

Brent Geese - Holme, 12th Oct 2010:

Sea watching provided us with a Red-throated Diver, 4 Gannets (1 adult and 3 immature) and 6 Common Scoter at Cley. A raft of c.100 Common Scoter were seen at Holme.

As for rarities/scarce migrants, well lady luck smiled on us on the final day. In the afternoon we walked down to Warham Greens in the hope of seeing the Hen Harrier that has been showing there (it is an area where they often roost in winter months). On getting down to the track looking over the vast expanse of salt marsh we had great views of a nearby Barn Owl. Within a few minutes a birder came up to us and asked if we were there to see the Yellow-browed Warbler. We had no idea that one had been seen here that day but were pointed in the righ direction. The bird had been in a small shrubby hollow known as 'the pit' and when we got there 7 or 8 other birders were waiting for it to show. Within 10 minutes of being there the Yellow-browed Warbler popped out onto a branch and spent a minute or so flitting in and out some Ivy before disappearing. I couldn't believe it, that last Y/B Warbler I had seen at Upton Warren (Worcs) a few years back took about 1 1/2 hours of waiting for a brief glimpse.

After seeing the Yellow-browed Warbler, I chatted to another birder and told him how we came here on spec for Hen Harrier and new nothing of the Y/B Warbler. He then to my surprise said..."So you don't know about the Pallas's Warbler just round the corner?" Quickly we popped 200 metres or so round the corner to find a couple of birders scanning a hedge. Again, talk about lucky, within minutes of being there, the bird showed well flycatching and perching for a minute before disappearing along the hedge with a flock of Long-tailed Tits. I was overjoyed as Pallas's Warbler was a lifer for me and what a stunning little bird it was! I couldn't believe it 2 scarce leaf-warblers in just under an hour. What a way to end the week.

Shenstone News - Monday 11th to Saturday 16th Oct 2010:

Its kind of typical that there was a 'red letter day' on the patch on the morning I was driving to Norfolk but I'm not bitter (honest!) and I would like to congratulate to Terry Hinett and Andy Warr for a fantastic haul of birds.

Monday 11th October:
1 Tree Sparrow, 1 ♂ Whinchat and 8 Corn Buntings all in the beet/set-aside field along Stanklyn Lane mid morning (TMH). Adult ♀ Marsh Harrier and juvenile Merlin both seen over beet field late morning (TMH and AW). Marsh Harrier is a patch first and Tree Sparrow is only the 2nd confirmed sighting.

Juvenile Merlin re-located at Heath Lane model aircraft field on the afternoon (TS)

Tuesday 12th October:
♂ Whinchat and 8 Corn Buntings still present in Stanklyn Lane beet field (TMH).

Saturday 16th October:
4 Song Thrushes on Heath Lane wires and c.60 Lapwing in field along Witch Lane.

Note:
A pair of Ravens were seen a number of times throughout the week in the Stanklyn Lane area.

Sunday 10th October 2010 - Shenstone

Due to other commitments, I was unable to get around the patch in the day time today but I did manage to get down to Captain's Pool at dusk with my new toy, a bat detector. A number of bats were over the water but I was able to identify two particular species. The majority were Soprano Pipistrelles and there was also a Daubenton's bat present.

This was quite an interesting find as I kind of expected Daubenton's (or the 'water bat' as its commonly known) but I thought the Pipistrelles would have been Common Pipistrelles. But reading up on it I have discovered that the equally common Soprano Pipestrelle tends to favour hunting over pools and rivers. It gets its name from the higher frequency that it echo locates at, hence the reason you can differentiate the two species with the bat detector. Soprano Pipistrelle was only split from Common Pipistrelle as a separate species in the 1990s .

You can download factsheets on these species from the Bat Conservation Trust at the following link:

http://www.bats.org.uk/pages/uk_bat_species.html

Saturday 9th October 2010 - Shenstone (patch first!)

On the face of it things seemed to had seemed to have quietened down a little today, but by the end of my visit around Shenstone I ended up feeling more than happy.

I started by checking the Butts Lane/ Back Lane triangle and observed 8 Meadow Pipits flyover heading S. Also present, in one of the stubble fields were c.150 Wood Pigeons.

c.200 Starlings and a gathering of 90 mixed Corvids (Rooks/Jackdaws) were in the gallops field along Stanklyn Lane. 2 Meadow Pipits flew over heading S and 4 Skylarks flew SW. Goldcrests and Long-tailed Tits were heard calling from Stanklyn Wood (privately owned) and c.100 Wood Pigeons were in the stubble next to the beet field. Also of note along Stanklyn Lane were 1 Common Buzzard, 1 Kestrel, 1 Jay and a single Goldfinch.

Heath Lane was pretty much a right off due to the usual weekend disturbances...model aircraft, dog walkers etc. I quickly moved on to Witch Lane.

Witch Lane seemed unbelievably quite not a Gull, Lapwing, Linnet or Pipit in sight, all that was present was 2 Grey Herons and a Kestrel. Then after about 45 minutes I could see 4 reasonably small looking geese coming towards me from the West. As they got closer I could make out their all dark brown heads, short necks and short bills. As they went past I could clearly see the dark underwings and I was treated to a couple of there short fairly high pitched honks, they were Pink-footed Geese - a patch first! The fruits of my local patch labours had paid off again....I had best not get too used to this with all those uneventful cold winter days yet to come.

Friday 8th October 2010 - Shenstone

A little quieter around the patch today but there was still some noticeable visible migration, the highlight being 6 Golden Plovers that flew SSW over Heath Lane at 11:50.

I started today on Back Lane where the only birds of note were 3 Skylarks that flew over heading West. A further 9 Skylarks flew S over Stanklyn Lane, a Pied Wagtail flew SW and a Meadow pipit was heard calling overhead. 84 Starlings were on a pylon along Stanklyn Lane and 43 Rooks, 23 Jackdaws and a Green Woodpecker were in the paddocks. 3 Jays and 2 Goldfinches were also seen along the Lane.

At Heath Lane model aircraft field there were 8 Yellowhammers present on the left hand hedgerow. Also along this hedge were a Song Thrush, 3 Goldfinches, a ♂ Chaffinch and a Robin. A Common Buzzard was seen lying down on top of a hay bale until it was mobbed by a Magpie. It then proceeded to fly to another bale and lie back down. 2 Skylarks flew S and another was up singing over the field. Also seen along Heath Lane were a flock of 6 Long-tailed Tits, a Kestrel, a Meadow Pipit and 5 Pheasants.

There was no sign of any Lapwings in the ploughed field along the A450 but c.80 Starlings were present. 9 Lapwings were in a field along Witch Lane, as were 2 Grey Herons. 5 Skylarks flew over heading S. A Common Buzzard and a Jay were also seen along Witch Lane.

The dull cooler conditions today decreased the numbers of note worthy insects being seen to just 1 Small White butterfly along Heath Lane and a Hornet along Stanklyn Lane.

Immature Pheasant - Heath Lane, 8th Oct 2010:

Song Thrush - Heath Lane, 8th Oct 2010:

Thursday 7th October 2010 - Shenstone

Today I finally managed to shake off my man cold generated malaise and pay a long overdue visit around the patch.

I started on Stanklyn Lane and not long after scanning the paddocks I had 30 Meadow Pipits drop in from a NE direction. They then spent there time feeding up amongst the short grassy vegetation, occasionally perching up on the nearby fence wires. Also feeding in this area were 6 Goldfinches (3 immature). and 7 Pied Wagtails flew over heading SW. In Stanklyn Lane beet field there were signs that the Corn Buntings are starting to flock together, with 5 Corn Buntings seen perched up on seed heads/stems. A first winter ♂ Reed Bunting and single Linnet were also seen in this field.

5 Skylarks flew W and a Meadow Pipit flew SW over Back Lane. A Buzzard and a Kestrel were also seen. C70 Large Gulls (Herring & Lesser Black-backed Gulls) were in the freshly ploughed field next to Stone Manor.

At Heath Lane model aircraft field there were 5 Yellowhammers (2 adult & 3 immature) along the right hand hedgerow. 9 Skylarks flew over heading SW and 2 Grey Wagtails flew over heading towards (the privately owned) Stanklyn Pool.

63 Lapwings were again in the ploughed field along the A450 between Heath Lane and the Droitwich Rd roundabout. A further 6 Lapwing were in a field along Witch Lane, as were 2 Grey Herons. A flock of c.100 Linnets were in the adjacent field. 11 Skylarks flew over heading South and 30 Meadow Pipits were flushed from one of the fields by a hunting Kestrel. 2 Sparrowhawks were also seen along Witch Lane.

A single Red Admiral and 8 Small Whites were seen around the patch today.

Goldfinches - Stanklyn Lane, 7th Oct 2010:


Meadow Pipit - Stanklyn Lane, 7th Oct 2010:

Wednesday 6th October 2010 - Captains Pool

No sign of Emperor Goose today at Captains Pool, but 3 adult Mute Swans were new arrivals (TS).

Tuesday 5th October 2010 - Captains Pool

The Emperor Goose was again present today with 150 Canada Geese at Captains Pool (TS).

Monday 4th October 2010 - Shenstone

Received a call this afternoon of fellow local birder and proprietor of Tony's Cafe (Tony Smith), informing me that there was strange goose with the Canadas on Captains Pool. I popped down to have a look and saw a small goose that was about the size of a Ross's Goose with a white head, vermiculated frosty blue/grey body, small pink bill and orange legs. To be honest I was stumped and all I cold think was that it was a possible Pinkfoot x Ross's Goose hybrid. I took some photos and emailed former county recorder Brian Stretch (Worcester Birding) to ask his opinion. Brian had indeed seen one of these geese before (at his local patch of Grimley) and he informed me it was an Emperor Goose. This bird, although un-ringed, is undoubtedly an escape as they are an Alaskan and Eastern Russian species. An Emperor Goose, quite possibly the same bird, has been recorded in Worcestershire before at Clifton Pits and Grimley. Although this is a so called 'plastic' goose, its a nice looking bird all the same (see photo below).

Emperor Goose - Captains Pool, 4th Oct 2010:

Also on Captain's Pool were c.100 Canada Geese, 2 Black-Headed Gulls, 5 Great Crested Grebes (4 juvs) and the usual Mallards and Moorhens. Of note in the trees along the pool were 2 Jays, a Great Spotted Woodpecker and 2 Coal Tits. A Grey Wagtail was heard calling as it flew over.

Elsewhere on the patch there were 3 Jays and a mixed flock of c.60 corvids (Rooks & Jackdaws) along Stanklyn Lane. Also along Stanklyn Lane were 2 Common Buzzards. Another Jay, a light-phase Common Buzzard and a Kestrel were seen at Heath Lane paddock. 4 Skylarks flew North over Heath Lane and a Meadow Pipit flew South West.

Due to the unusually mild sunny weather today it was a good day for butterflies with 2 Red Admirals, 2 Small Coppers, 1 Comma, 3 Speckled Woods and 6 Small Whites all seen along Heath Lane. Also noted were a Hornet and a Migrant Hawker Dragonfly.

Red Admiral - Shenstone, 4th Oct 2010:

Comma - Shenstone, 4th Oct 2010:

Black-headed Gull - Shenstone, 4th Oct 2010:

Saturday 2nd October 2010 - Shenstone

A pretty quiet day around Shenstone today with the more interesting birds being seen around the Witch Lane area. 13 Skylarks flew over Witch Lane heading SW, as did 4 Meadow Pipits and 1 Cormorant (not a common bird on the patch). c.60 Large Gulls were in one of the ploughed fields and 18 Lapwings were in another. Also of note in the Witch Lane area were 5 Pied Wagtails, 9 Linnets, 2 Grey Herons, 1 Common Buzzard and a Kestrel.

A Green Woodpecker and a Jay were present in Stanklyn Lane paddocks.

A bit of news from yesterday, 5 Great Crested Grebes (4 juveniles) were seen at Captians Pool yesterday morning (TS). This is good news as I could only see three of the young grebes on my visit on Wednesday.