23/12/2009

Another day doing my newly devised winter route was relatively productive.

Briefly calling at the golf course, it was encouraging to see that the workers had kept to their promise and had postponed the undergrowth clearance.

It was also encouraging to hear a FIRECREST calling and eventually pin it down in the thick vegetation near post 678.

A good patch bird was a NUTHATCH that flew in from the adjacent gardens along The Drive (where they are fairly regular, though they rarely stray onto the Downs), called once and was lost to view, never to be seen again! I am fairly sure that you don't get Nuthatches in the east wood, but I'm not 100%; I've never seen them there even though I don't visit that area too often, and the habitat is similar to the rest of the wooded areas at the Downs, where I never see them. So a good bird to see at the Downs.

The other main highlight was 2 LAPWINGS flying relatively low, west. Again, I only saw them as they were flying away, not noticing them when they would have been in a good position for a decent photo. I managed another poor back shot, though it's a slight improvement on Saturday's photo!Lapwings (the top shot is another of the right and bird and the bottom is another of the left hand bird).

As I was hoping for, and kind of expecting in this weather, a GREY HERON flew over. It flew over the middle of the site, very low, much lower than I've seen any Grey Heron here before and a CARRION CROW was right on its tail. At one point it was just a few feet above the bushes! It was a 1st winter bird and headed roughly south east. Cormorant or Mallard next? (latter being desperately needed for my Downs year list!).

Grey Heron

I was thinking about the dearth of Skylarks this autumn. I have logged one so far this autumn and I think that was back in September, so it was nice that just as I was thinking this I heard a single SKYLARK fly over, it sounded fairly low but I couldn't get onto it. This sort of thing has happened before, I think I must have heard the bird in the distance, subconsciously and this must have started thoughts about them!

5 BULLFINCHES were present together just south of the central enclosure. I didn't manage to sex all of them but I think 2 were females and one was a male, not sure about the other two.

REDWING numbers were similar, perhaps a little down??? FIELDFARES had increased once more with 2 birds flying over the golf course, 5 south of the enclosures that flew off low south west to another part of the site, 4, possibly different birds over the bike track and 8+ feeding in the central and western enclosures (the latter being the one now fenced off and sheep are due tomorrow, weather providing). So in total up to 19 (possibly more) Fieldfares today. Maybe more realistically around 15? With the birds being so mobile it is hard to estimate. A MISTLE THRUSH was present briefly at the north enclosure before flying low south.

Fieldfare

I finally got a ROSE-RINGED PARAKEET! One bird flew fairly low over the golf course today after a recent dearth in these species after the bad weather (even though I thought they wouldn't have been too effected; maybe they have been, or maybe they've just been less mobile in the bad weather?)

A GOLDFINCH was heard in a tree but could not be located at the golf course.

A single GREEN WOODPECKER called at or near the bike track and a single GREAT SPOTTED WOODPECKER was heard at the south wood where the GOLDCREST was still present, despite being heard-only. At the golf course, a fair distance down the wooded footpath, another GOLDCREST, a female, showed well.

A 1st winter COMMON GULL flew over.

4 JAYS were noted today; 1 at the golf course, 2 at the bike track and 1 at the north wood.

A single SONG THRUSH was seen at the bike track.

Not so many BLACKBIRDS, with 5 or so present. A handful of LONG-TAILED, BLUE and GREAT TITS were present (a huge flock of BLUE and LONG-TAILED TITS was seen in Belmont this a.m.; they were all just streaming into one or two bushes!). Again no sign of the Blackcaps.

CARRION CROWS, MAGPIES and WOODPIGEONS common as always.




IN OTHER NEWS

1 SPARROWHAWK dashed through buildings and trees around St. John's Church, Belmont, this morning.

A GREY HERON was reported over Belmont this a.m., possibly the same bird I saw later on?

One COAL TIT was calling at Burdon Lane where a male GREENFINCH also showed well.

One COAL TIT was calling at The Drive.

Yesterday, after the gathering, I was passing the PIED WAGTAIL roost so had a look to see how many there looked to be in that tree in comparison to last time. It looked packed! In comparison to my count of c.160 I would guess there were perhaps 200 in there.