I managed to grab an hour or so this afternoon for a quick whistle stop tour of the patch. I started with a quick view of Captains Pool where the Great Crested Grebe was still present and 2 Great Spotted Woodpeckers were seen in an oak near the waters edge.
Stanklyn Lane was pretty much a right off due to the agricultural sale being on at the Gallops Field and no self respecting bird would be around whilst that is on. None were, so I headed up to Heath Lane.
By comparison Heath Lane was absolutely Chuffing with birds. In the trees between the Islamic School and the paddock there were c.300 Linnets perched. The sound of them all chattering away was almost deafening! It Just needed a Merlin to turn up with all this food on tap...ah well another time!
The paddock itself was also full of birds with c.140 Fieldfare, c.80 Redwing, 1 Mistle Thrush, c.60 Starling, 14 Goldfinch and 8 Chaffinch all feeding on the deck. A single Corn Bunting was singing from the telegraph wires that run over the adjacent field. A Kestrel was also noted along the lane.
I headed over to Witch Lane next where I was greeted by a covey of 16 Red-legged Partridge waddling leisurely down the middle of the road. In the trees behind Willow Marsh Fishery were 5 Cormorants. A Common Buzzard was also present in this area.
Hi Jason, reference Bird Journal showing in your side bar! I bought the full package in December and would highly recommend! I'm not a great recorder of my sightings other than my blog but find it so easy to use. Straight from my phone to my PC!
ReplyDeleteSo...that's were all the Linnets were today, down Heath Lane! What a treat to see and hear so many! Your walk was a productive one!
ReplyDeleteKeith - I agree with you. I trialled it end of last year and recently purchased the full copy. I would recommend it to everyne. Once you have set up your locations... it is so much easier than doing a hand written bird journal especially with the ability to add in your digital photos and record shots.
ReplyDeletePam - It was an excellent visit. The funny thing is the next day there was nothing there...funny old gae this birding lark