Having returned
from Brazil and now fully quarantined it was back to the patch to try and boost
my patch list during the end of the Autumn migration. While the start of the
week was bright and sunny the end was unsurprisingly wet and windy which
hampered the birding a great deal.
There were good numbers of migrant Pink-footed Geese earlier in the week, and I also managed a single Whooper Swan which I was fortunate not to miss. Skeins passed over on two days, one in particular was very low. Always a fantastic sight at the end of the autumn, really enjoyable birding. Passerine migration was much slower, with a handful of Chaffinches being the best of it. Meadow Pipits have clearly already finished, but there were a good group gathering at the bottom of the North Slope. Thrushes and Woodpigeons have also been moving on some mornings, but not in massive numbers.
Grounded birds have been somewhat hit and miss, with some days feeling very lively and other days extremely quiet. Blackbird numbers did seem to build up towards the end of the week, with a couple of very smart 1st winter males in the North Slope Treeline. Fieldfares and Redwings have been present most mornings, often flying over in large groups but sometimes around the bushes as well. A smart ‘Icelandic’ Redwing was on Taylor Lane one foggy morning. A single Song Thrush has been lingering in the North Slope Treeline. A very nice treat was a day roosting Tawny Owl perched right out in the open, allowing my to get some pictures of a species I have previously only heard on the hill during a night visit. I left the bird there, but it had gone by the time JJL came up to look for it.
Despite being the end of autumn I still managed two patch ticks this week; Long-tailed Tit and Woodcock. The Long-tailed Tits was in the North Slope Treeline and numbered around 15 birds, but it was difficult to get an accurate count due to them constantly drifting back and forth. Woodcock was a long overdue species for me, and after JJL had one, I knew that they were on their way. The first one I flushed flew far and into the quarry, taking me by surprise, but the second dropped down only around 50 meters from where I first flushed it. This gave me time to gather my camera and set myself, resulting in a couple of crappy flight shots.
And finally, it was nice to find three Jack Snipe earlier in the week, although I have been unable to find them since. A flyover Lesser Redpoll was also a bonus, and a flock of seven Dunlin that flew past was something of a surprise. Overall a quality week in inland birding during November. Hopefully a few more bits will appear before the winter sets in.
There were good numbers of migrant Pink-footed Geese earlier in the week, and I also managed a single Whooper Swan which I was fortunate not to miss. Skeins passed over on two days, one in particular was very low. Always a fantastic sight at the end of the autumn, really enjoyable birding. Passerine migration was much slower, with a handful of Chaffinches being the best of it. Meadow Pipits have clearly already finished, but there were a good group gathering at the bottom of the North Slope. Thrushes and Woodpigeons have also been moving on some mornings, but not in massive numbers.
Grounded birds have been somewhat hit and miss, with some days feeling very lively and other days extremely quiet. Blackbird numbers did seem to build up towards the end of the week, with a couple of very smart 1st winter males in the North Slope Treeline. Fieldfares and Redwings have been present most mornings, often flying over in large groups but sometimes around the bushes as well. A smart ‘Icelandic’ Redwing was on Taylor Lane one foggy morning. A single Song Thrush has been lingering in the North Slope Treeline. A very nice treat was a day roosting Tawny Owl perched right out in the open, allowing my to get some pictures of a species I have previously only heard on the hill during a night visit. I left the bird there, but it had gone by the time JJL came up to look for it.
Despite being the end of autumn I still managed two patch ticks this week; Long-tailed Tit and Woodcock. The Long-tailed Tits was in the North Slope Treeline and numbered around 15 birds, but it was difficult to get an accurate count due to them constantly drifting back and forth. Woodcock was a long overdue species for me, and after JJL had one, I knew that they were on their way. The first one I flushed flew far and into the quarry, taking me by surprise, but the second dropped down only around 50 meters from where I first flushed it. This gave me time to gather my camera and set myself, resulting in a couple of crappy flight shots.
And finally, it was nice to find three Jack Snipe earlier in the week, although I have been unable to find them since. A flyover Lesser Redpoll was also a bonus, and a flock of seven Dunlin that flew past was something of a surprise. Overall a quality week in inland birding during November. Hopefully a few more bits will appear before the winter sets in.
I did also have a venture to a couple of other sites, first Ogden to see a smart male Mandarin that was there, and the Mixenden Reservoir where I had three of BS 6 Ring-necked Parakeets, plus a yeartick of Goldeneye.
-Tawny Owl
-Pink-footed Goose
-Whooper Swan
-Long-tailed Tit
-Woodcock
-Mandarin
Species
List:
Soil Hill: Greylag Goose, Pink-footed Goose, Canada Goose, Whooper Swan, Mallard, Red-legged Partridge, Common Pheasant, Grey Partridge, Feral Pigeon, Stock Dove, Common Wood Pigeon, Eurasian Collared Dove, Common Moorhen, European Golden Plover, Northern Lapwing, Dunlin, Jack Snipe, Eurasian Woodcock, Common Snipe, Black-headed Gull, Mew Gull, European Herring, Lesser Black-backed Gull, Grey Heron, Eurasian Sparrowhawk, Little Owl, Tawny Owl, Long-eared Owl, Great Spotted Woodpecker, European Green Woodpecker, Common Kestrel, Peregrine Falcon, Eurasian Magpie, Western Jackdaw, Rook, Carrion Crow, Northern Raven, Eurasian Blue Tit, Great Tit, Long-tailed Tit, Goldcrest, Eurasian Wren, Common Starling, Mistle Thrush, Song Thrush, Redwing, Common Blackbird, Fieldfare, European Robin, European Stonechat, Dunnock, House Sparrow, White Wagtail, Meadow Pipit, Common Chaffinch, Eurasian Bullfinch, Common Linnet, Lesser Redpoll, European Goldfinch, Common Reed Bunting,
Soil Hill: Greylag Goose, Pink-footed Goose, Canada Goose, Whooper Swan, Mallard, Red-legged Partridge, Common Pheasant, Grey Partridge, Feral Pigeon, Stock Dove, Common Wood Pigeon, Eurasian Collared Dove, Common Moorhen, European Golden Plover, Northern Lapwing, Dunlin, Jack Snipe, Eurasian Woodcock, Common Snipe, Black-headed Gull, Mew Gull, European Herring, Lesser Black-backed Gull, Grey Heron, Eurasian Sparrowhawk, Little Owl, Tawny Owl, Long-eared Owl, Great Spotted Woodpecker, European Green Woodpecker, Common Kestrel, Peregrine Falcon, Eurasian Magpie, Western Jackdaw, Rook, Carrion Crow, Northern Raven, Eurasian Blue Tit, Great Tit, Long-tailed Tit, Goldcrest, Eurasian Wren, Common Starling, Mistle Thrush, Song Thrush, Redwing, Common Blackbird, Fieldfare, European Robin, European Stonechat, Dunnock, House Sparrow, White Wagtail, Meadow Pipit, Common Chaffinch, Eurasian Bullfinch, Common Linnet, Lesser Redpoll, European Goldfinch, Common Reed Bunting,
Not a bad week for starters there Daniel. Probably Dunlin were the biggest surprise !
ReplyDelete