Sunday 26 November 2017

26th November

Yesterday I walked along the river hoping the cold had driven birds off the local lakes. This pool to the north of Morton Bridge looked promising and might hold water for a few days…


It already attracted a Little Egret, Snipe, a handful of Lapwing, five Teal and four species of gull plus  a total of around 60 Curlews…


Along the river there were two more Snipe, two Goosander, another two Little Egrets, a pair of Little Grebe, a further four Teal and a Kingfisher…


Walking back along Potter Lane one stubble field held at least 50 Skylarks, 13 (very distant) Golden Plover were near Swalefields…


And a Grey Wagtail joined the Pieds on the good old muck heap...


Today was another very cold but beautiful morning. I popped into the Magic Garden, there were quite a few winter thrushes, mostly Redwings, along the ditch.
On the Bottom Fields the flood water was mainly frozen but as the sun melted it, large numbers of corvids, Starlings and wagtails moved in to feed,  following the shadow line westwards. There were a couple of Meadow Pipits with them and as I crept closer (to check for Water Pipits) I flushed a Woodcock. Quickly followed by two more that had all come out of a tiny area of damp willows. A Sparrowhawk and Jay were the only other birds of note.
A very quick look down Potter Lane this afternoon saw large numbers of Fieldfares near the river, 500+ in tight, nervous flocks which quickly dispersed and flew towards the village. On the farther bank six Wigeon had dropped on to the remnant floodwater.

During the last week Tracey Palmer spotted a Barn Owl hunting along Greenhills Lane. The first parish sighting for some months.

Monday 13 November 2017

13th November

A walk along the river on a bright, but surprisingly cold, morning. Around 60 Curlew were in the beet field near the bridge…


There have been really good numbers of Curlews around the last few days including a flock of around 160 in the large open fields near the school and 40+ down Potter Lane.


The river itself was fairly quiet but I saw Kingfisher, three Snipe, two Little Grebe, a small flock of Golden Plover and my first Goosander since the spring…


And what, from a distance, I took to be an interesting wader…


but it was only an Oystercatcher (although the first I have seen since June).  

A flock of 200 Fieldfare in the Bottom Fields on Saturday were the first of the autumn, around three weeks later than usual. There were still good numbers around today…


I walked back via Langlands Farm flushing four Grey Partridge. A Corn Bunting was surprisingly in song here and a single Grey Wagtail was feeding around the field drains…