Garden birds.
Not quite the garden but the resident Little Owl in Honeygar Lane, Westhay was showing well this morning.
After a couple of weeks when I could not find a Greenfinch in my garden, a male was back on the feeder this morning. The Song thrush is still around and appears to be carrying food but I am not going to attempt to find a nest site. Marsh Harriers seem to be roaming more widely with two recent sightings to the north of Westhay village.
We continue to put food out for the regular garden visitors.
Today, we had an adult Rook on the feeder - nearest Rookery is about half a mile away.
I know not unusual, but a first in the garden for us.
The sparrowhawks in my garden have more or less given up on nest building, and a pair of wood pigeons seem to have taken over the nest site! Bizarre! Am I right to wonder if they are youngsters, who aren’t very good at this? They chose a pretty busy site to build in, and then don’t seem to have got on with it in a very sensible way. A green woodpecker has started excavating a nest hole in the big lime tree behind our house.
Also, a group of local Frome birders have formed a Whatsapp group, which is very busily recording house martins, kites, goosanders and firecrests, etc. A male gadwall at Orchardleigh on Sunday was of interest and green sandpiper again on River Frome near Spring Gardens.
Interestingly a pair of grey wagtails have become frequent visitors to my pretty barren yard/garden - they feel very out of context without any water to speak of for some distance.
Amazing what we find near to home! My addition for the day was 2 Reed Warblers singing at the southern end of Heathway Lane, Westhay.
At least two, quite mature, fledgling Blackbirds bumbling about the garden yesterday evening - more entertaining than the TV.
Blue Tits very active in one of the nest boxes.
Clear, warm weather has suited the local Ilminster raptors - regular fly over from Sparrowhawk and at least two Buzzards a day soaring over the garden.
First Holly Blue yesterday - 7 species in the last 10 days. Sure it’s the best late March early April for butterflies since we’ve been here (2013)
A Willow Warbler was singing in Westhay on Monday-another new one for me this year. Meanwhile my garden butterfly list for April has grown to 7 with Orange Tip and Holly Blue the latest arrivals.
An early morning drive (7.30) from Westhay to Wedmore for essential supplies produced 2 good records from the car! Around 25 Cattle Egrets were close to the road at the bottom of Mudgley hill and a Commic Tern was fishing along the North Drain! A Swallow was outside my gate in Westhay again as I set off. That is 3 days in a row so hopefully a “local” bird.
in reference to the Fieldfair’s ,on my walk down past the Cheddar Res’ and as far down as the river axe. there have been a gathering ,varying in numbers i have seen, and can hear them chattering out of view, but numbers i have seen range from the odd 2 - 3 up to around 15 together on Friday morning located near the “claypits” and have been there for over a fortnight so far
Is it possible that the Fieldfares and other winter birds are coming from the continent and stopping here to feed up? I didn’t see any Fieldfares in March-it could be just chance but I think that the influx this week are new arrivals.
Still a group of 20+ Fieldfares hanging about in the hedgerows above Green Down on the East Poldens. Singing Yellowhammer and Skylark lifted the spirits on my walk up there this morning.
12 Fieldfare with a solitary redwing just south of Wellington this morning too - the latest I have seen. Presumably the fairly strong northerlies of last few days prevented them moving.
Hello Stephen, I also saw a flock of Fieldfare between Westhay and Shapwick Bridge on Wednesday, a rare record for April around here. There was also a drake Goosander on the Brue in Westhay yesterday. Are some species waiting for the warmer air which we have got this morning before moving on?
The BTO is offering free membership of Garden Birwatch for one year. At this exceptional time, they are unable to offer the joining pack with book and magazine; instead they are offering an online GBW membership for free, with regular electronic communications to keep you connected. See https://www.bto.org/our-science/projects/gbw/join-gbw.
We’ll worth doing!
Thank you, I’ve signed up. Just hoping the feeders will start to get a little more lively now.