Hedgerow Birding

A walk along Lamin's Lane this morning produced a Common Buzzard being mobbed by corvids as it flew from the direction of Warrenhill Plantation and over Violet Hill. All was quiet walking up the lane, until reaching Keepers Cottage where at least eight Tree Sparrow were in the hedgerows and on the feeder, with two males and a female Yellowhammer with them.

The so-called "Golden Plover" field, which I now know as Top Woods Ground still contained winter flocks of Linnet and Pied Wagtail: around 50 and 25 respectively. A lone Goldcrest was in the hedgerow alongside the hayfield (called Arable Old Warren) and a Treecreeper was showing well on a birch near Warrenhill Heath. Thanks to John for naming all the fields in the area for me!

Leen Pastures Feeding Station

At the Mill Lakes this morning there was a single Little Grebe near the Vehicle Bridge at dawn, and a singing male Song Thrush in the Willow Carr. Four Cormorant were in the usual tree on the island, and six Fieldfare were seen to have roosted in poplar trees adjacent to the Dipping Ponds. A massive 120-180 Siskin were in a large mobile flock that kept splitting and feeding in different groups of alder around the lake and on the islands, with around ten Lesser Redpoll on the Peninsula. Later, around 150 Siskin were seen flying north over Leen Pastures Feeding Station from the direction of the lake. A single Stock Dove was with a few Woodpigeon in the field alongside the Leen, and a Grey Heron flushed from the river bank where the path runs right alongside the river. A Green Woodpecker was in the trees behind the Leen Pastures Feeding Station, two Willow Tit showed well as they repeated fed from the table, and a small group of Long-tailed Tit stopped to feed on the peanut feeders. The House Sparrow collony showed well in the hedgerow at the Main Entrance, and a single Goldcrest was in a yew opposite the Wildlife Garden by Khalsa Wood.

Lamin's Lane in the Rain

Lamin's Lane before work... the forecast said it would rain early morning, but clearing when it got light. Well no it didn't! I took the camera, but there was no point getting it out of the bag. At least I saw a few decent things, so it wasn't an awful morning. First up was a couple of Cormorant flying over Lamin's Lane heading towards Mill Lakes. Next was a flock of 25 Pied Wagtail feeding in the junction corner of the Golden Plover field, and a flock of around 35 Linnet were at the eastern side of the field. A small group of five or six Chaffinch in one of the nearby oaks caught my attention as one bird on the far side of the tree looked Brambling-ish; but it was just too dark to be sure, and moving closer just flushed them all away. Heading back, six Pheasant - three male, three female - were in the field next to Warrenhill Plantation.

Sights to Revere

Great morning, so I'll just briefly cover the highlights. At the Mill Lakes three male Teal were seen displaying to a female - something I've not witnessed before. At least 17 Common Snipe were counted basking in the sun on Mud Island, with a possible Jack Snipe moving amongst them. At the Leen Pastures I filled up the Feeding Station (probably the first time it's been done in over 6 months!) hoping to bring back the Willow Tits that were regularly seen here when in was being maintained. Within five minutes they were back! First came a Robin, then a Chaffinch, then two Willow Tit visited frequently, returning at least once a minute, and were also heard calling - a success! Heading back to the lake, a male Bullfinch was seen hovering for around four seconds alongside a vertical mud bank of the river - something else I've not witnessed before. At the wooden footbridge a Goldcrest was feeding along the fence running down the side of the footpath, seen with good views.

Back at Broad Valley, the stables field was covered in Fieldfare - around 250 birds were feeding on the ground. After counting them, a group of crows were flushed from the second field, then all the Fieldfare took to the wing too. It had to be a Sparrowhawk. Sure enough a female Sparrowhawk came over the hedge and homed in on one of the Fieldfare mimicking each and every turn its prey made to escape. The chase ended just a few meters away from me in the middle of the field, well-lit by the sun, so I only have the excuse of being an amateur for the poor set of photos I took. Although, in my own defence, I was engrossed in watching this spectacle at the time, as it was the first time I've witnessed a successful Sparrowhawk kill. Finally, just as I thought that was it for the morning, a Common Buzzard came over the Quarry towards me, dropping below the skyline to give great views, and just before the Quarry entrance, banked to its right as if to show off its wonderful under-wing barring in the sunshine before disappearing back over the hillside.

Nipping Out

This afternoon whilst the rest of the family were out, I had a quick walk around the woodland with my camera. I picked up a few Nuthatch shots and one of a Treecreeper, which was also a year tick.

Flocking in the Frost

Okay, so here's my quick overview. Usual route, frosty, clear, but dull. Kestrel hunting over Dawson's Corner at dawn, and another later over Parkside Pasture. Got some blurry photos of a Little Grebe running across the surface of the water (similar to a Moorhen) and saw what was possibly the same bird with a fish in its bill. A Common Snipe flushed from the Peninsula towards Mud Island, and two more were seen in the vegetation there. Three Common Gull were on the water, including the winter adult bird photographed. No sign of any Willow Tit at Leen Pastures, but did photograph a Kingfisher and Redwing alongside the river on the way back to the lake. A flock of at least 22 Yellowhammer were feeding in the stubble field alongside the Spinney Path. No other species were present in this flock, which is the highest number I've ever recorded. Three more Redwing were on the hillside at Bestwood Quarry.

Other birds of note:

• 3 Green Woodpecker [Mill Lakes, Bestwood Quarry, Pit Tip Top]
• 2 Great Spotted Woodpecker [Wildlife Garden, Hatton Close Entrance]
• 2 Meadow Pipit [Pit Tip Top]
• 1 Song Thrush [Dawson's Corner]
• 1 Mistle Thrush [Main Entrance to Mill Lakes]
• 1 Nuthatch [Ludgate Close Entrance]
• 100+ Siskin [Mill Lakes]
• c.10 Lesser Redpoll
• 5 Bullfinch [Sustrans Path (1f), Double Gates at Mill Lakes (1m, 2f), Bestwood Quarry (1f)]

Pit Tip Plantation

This morning I worked the boundary of the main Pit Tip Plantation, and added a few birds to the year list. Three Mallard flew over the Pit Tip Top towards Bestwood Quarry, and two Meadow Pipit and a Pied Wagtail also flew over, calling. In the Plantation, I found a single Lesser Redpoll, some Siskin, a male Sparrowhawk, and a Green Woodpecker. Highlight of the morning was a single Fieldfare that flew over calling, and settled at the top of a birch tree at the Plantation's eastern edge.

Firsts of the Year

A slow start to the year list this morning with a few of the Lamin's Lane regulars missed, but did year tick a single Canada Goose flying over! Of note were five Pied Wagtail, including one or two first winter birds, feeding in the north-east corner of the Golden Plover field, along with a small Linnet flock of nine birds. A large flock (200+) of finches were seen 'bouncing' between two oak trees in a neighbouring field, but it was not possible to get close to enough to identify them on the public right of way. No sign of Yellowhammer, Golden Plover or either Partridge species, but managed two Lapwing flying over, and the regular collony of Tree Sparrow.

Quick Start 2009

Started the year off with a quick afternoon walk around the woodland with the family. Not really a chance for year-listing, but did manage a Nuthatch, a Great Spotted Woodpecker and three Mistle Thrush in the Horse Pasture opposite the Adventure Playground.