22/01/2012 - 1 Common Snipe was the only bird of note on a very windy local walk

09/01/2012 - Green Woodpecker again, heard only, in grounds of Davenport Green Hall.

03/01/2012 - 1 Tawny Owl calling last night and a Raven over the garden this morning.

17/12/2011 - A dusk walk produced a total of 9 Wrens which were all having a last sing-song before dark. 40+ Magpies went into the roost and small numbers of Redwings roosted in the hedgerows. A Tawny Owl screeched on the walk home but I've never located it's day roost.

06/12/2011 - The ponds out in the fields have gone from largely empty to overflowing in the space of just 48 hours with all the rain. Not much on them as yet. It was a good morning out in the fields birdwise with the following seen:

 

1 Green Woodpecker - female, initially heard yaffling at top end of Buttery House Lane, later moved further into the fields and was seen well feeding in the largest sheep field. My first record here

1 Woodcock - first of the winter here

2 Grey Herons

2 Buzzards

1 Sparrowhawk

18 Black-headed Gulls

1 Common Gull

c200 Woodpigeons - still in the area

1 Grey Wagtail

c50 Redwings

4 Fieldfares

5 Mistle Thrushes - getting territorial over the laden hawthorn bushes

30+ Blackbirds

1 Siskin

02/12/2011 - 1 Raven in the sheep fields in the morning, flew off towards the airport

22/11/11 - 4pm, quiet:

1 Lesser Black-backed Gull - flew SW presumably towards the Rostherne roost
1 Tawny Owl
1 Mistle Thrush - singing
c60 Redwings
4 Lesser Redpolls

15/11/2011 - A short viz-mig watch with Phil Owen from Crowland Hill produced:

c300 Pink-footed Geese - flew SE over Hale Barns at 9.20am
200+ Woodpigeons - noticeable migrating flocks mainly flying high West
1 Grey Wagtail
2 Pied Wagtails
6 Lesser Redpolls
7 Chaffinches

Well done Henry!

I used to see Crossbills fairly regularly in the Pines on Brooks Drive in the late 70s/ early 80's when I cut my birding teeth with my old friend Peter Kemp who kindly pointed them out to me. A lifer as well at the time!

Sadly they disappeared totally from the area but nice to see one reported again even if it was a fly-over.











-- Edited by Phil Owen on Thursday 3rd of November 2011 07:21:35 PM

Looks like I picked the wrong day!

Did you see the crossbill or was it just flying above and you identified it by its call?

Also, what's vis-migging? I am not familiar with that term.

01/11/2011 - 9-10.30am with Stuart Smtih. An unseanonably mild and beautiful day to be out but not much on the move this morning:

2 Common Buzzards
2 Kestrels
4 Common Snipes
2 Stock Doves
c30 Redwings
7 Skylarks
2 Meadow Pipits

Hi,

I live on Ashley Road and to be honest am very keen to explore this area. I am at best a keen and enthusiastic bird watcher with a reasonable knowledge but really do struggle in the correct identifications and knowing what to look for etc.

If any of you more experienced regulars would ever like to show me this patch and maybe help me, I'd be very keen to join you one day. I can assure you, I am not a serial killer, or even remotely likely to do anything as bad as use bad language - I am completely safe to be around!! I'd just welcome a bit of birdwatching with someone that knows what they are doing.

If anyone is able to help me, I would be much obliged. I guess I can be PMed.

Thanks
SS

28/10/2011 - An interesting day on the patch with great late autumn weather fuelling some decent movements. All sightings viz-mig'd unless otherwise stated:

11 Buzzards - 7 flew through during the day all heading south at extremely high altitude, 4 locals
5 Sparrowhawks - 3 again flew south at high altitude
2 Kestrels - both local birds
1 Lesser Black-backed Gull
4 Common Gulls
8 Song Thrushes
2 Mistle Thrushes
c20 Fieldfares
c190 Redwings
4 Meadow Pipits
7 Skylarks
4 Grey Watails
5 Pied Wagtails
14 Jays - 10 raucous locals, also 4 seemed to be flying at unusually high altitude for this species, migrating south-west
12 Greenfinches
40+ Chaffinches
1 Bullfinch
1 Reed Bunting

20/10/2011 - Another Yellowhammer flew over heading SW this morning

09/10/2011 - 8-10am, Increase in Ravens and thrushes this morning:

2 Meadow Pipits - viz-mig finished already?!
1 Pied Wagtail
4 Redwings
6 Song Thrushes
14 Mistle Thrushes
c30 Blackbirds
1 Chiffchaff - still singing
2 Ravens - showed well before departing towards the airport

07/10/2011 - A real change of seasons in the birdlife this morning with both summer and winter birds present:

1 Common Snipe
30+ Meadow Pipits
7 Pied Wagtails
1 Grey Wagtail
1 Swallow - possibly the last of the autumn here
2 Redwings - first of the autumn here
22 Mistle Thrushes
2 Chiffchaffs
1 Raven

01/10/2011 - 7-9am, still a few birds moving overhead this morning:

4 Mallards
1 Lesser Black-backed Gull
3 Swallows
c30 Meadow Pipits
2 Grey Wagtails
6 Pied Wagtails
3 Mistle Thrushes
2 Lesser Redpolls
1 Siskin
2 Reed Buntings
1 Linnet

also 5 Chiffchaffs still in the area with 2 of them singing and the first Common Snipe of the autumn in the dried up marl pits.

26/09/2011 - Viz-mig ongoing for most of the day although it tailed off slightly after the first couple hours of daylight:

2 Buzzards - high over heading SW
c120 Meadow Pipits
23 Swallows
6 Grey Wagtails
4 Pied Wagtails
8 Jackdaws
12 Siskins
2 Lesser Redpolls
4 Goldfinches
1 Linnet

also c200 Starlings in the sheep fields with good numbers of Woodpigeons (c400)

19/09/2011 - Viz-mig has been going strong all week. This morning, although nothing locally scarce/rare was seen, good numbers of birds and a brief spell of sun kept it interesting:

6 Grey Herons
2 Mallards
9 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
c30 Swallows - plus a handful of resident ones are still around the local nest site
c400 Woodpigeons
5 Stock Doves
2 Grey Wagtails
1 Pied Wagtail
c50 Meadow Pipits
34 Mistle Thrushes
c110 Starlings
2 Siskins

c20 Pink-footed Geese over heading south at 6.10pm, the first of many this autumn I hope.

04/09/2011 - 1 Grasshopper Warbler still present this morning, although not reeling now.

27/08/2011 - Quiet recently with small amounts of common hirundines and warblers passing through. This afternoon was a touch better:

2 Northern Wheatears (in the sheep fields)
2 Sand Martins (heading south)
30+ Swallows
3 Willow Warblers (in amongst a tit flock passing through the garden)
1 Little Owl
3 Buzzards

09/08/2011 - Still 2 Grasshopper Warblers singing during the day of late. The competition from high numbers of other males might be the factor in forcing them to sing so much. Still low numbers of Chiffchaffs and Blackcaps around but other warblers have gone quiet or gone altogether.

27/07/2011 - Kestrel, Buzzard and Sparrowhawk all showing signs of confirmed breeding recently which is good news. Also 43 Black-headed Gulls overhead this afternoon hawking flying ants. Mixed in were a few high altitude Common Swifts.