Mike Russell & Lesley Milward, 26th January 2025
Author: P
Why didn’t they come yesterday for the RSPB bird count? Two Coal Tits showing courtship behaviour in our garden.
Nigel Colgate, 26th January 2025
A few days ago while looking at the feeding birds in the garden a strange bird caught my attention – a Blue Tit with a dark blue belly. Some sort of melanism?
Late this afternoon a flock of about 40 Pied Wagtails were circling our house. I remember that last winter I saw a similar sized flock of Waggies on the roof of Martyn Lodge.
Debbie Colgate, 24th January 2025
A Facebook posting by Alastair Gray said that he did find the White-fronted Geese – nine of them – maybe those were the smaller ones that Susie spotted flying in with the Greylags. He saw a Golden Plover with the Lapwing, and definitely a Marsh Harrier, immature male, so Tony & Mark were correct!
Val Bentley, 21st January 2025
A Great White Egret flew over our garden in Small Dole this morning.
Andy Bennett, 20th January 2025
This cold snap has seen the garden getting a bit more active this week. Today we’ve had 4 Reed Buntings and 3 Chaffinches enjoying the seed I put on the ground for them, a party of 10 Long-tailed Tits popped in while a Coat Tit has dashed in a number of times to pick up a seed and dash back to the bushes. A male Blackcap has visited a few times this morning and it’s worth keeping an eye out for this species as they tend to visit gardens more in the second half of winter. Still a bit quiet on the Goldfinch and Greenfinch front but we’ve been down to Rye Farm a few times recently and there’s been a big ‘charm’ of 50+ Goldfinches around which is not far from us so perhaps they are getting enough natural food down there and don’t feel the need yet to visit us.
Mike Russell, 19th January 2025
This morning there were 40 Goldfinches in one of the trees in Chestnut End, 13 made their way into our garden.
And love is in the air – we’ve had a female Great Spotted Woodpecker in the garden for the last few weeks, today she was joined by a male and a similarly the one Dunnock has become two, one of which was flicking its wings. We also had Mr and Mrs Bullfinch feeding on the buds of our forsythia.
Debbie Colgate, 19th January 2025
Roger, Mark, Angela, Val and Ezio joined me on the Area 2 walk this morning. We clocked up an impressive 37 species. Val had to turn back at the half way point and missed three of our highlights! Two Egyptian Geese sitting on the fence by the Morley Farm pond, a stunning Red Kite perched in a dead tree bathed in bright sunlight and a Stonechat as we approached Wantley. We had already got good views of Goldcrest, noisy Nuthatch and Great Spotted Woodpecker. Overall we saw over 20 Song Thrushes plus Redwing and Mistle Thrush. Dunnock were singing everywhere along Furners Lane and Blue Tits proliferated. A lovely dry morning as well!
Nigel Colgate, 14th January 2025
As we have done for the past 20 years or more, Nige C, Nigel P, Will and I saddled up for the SOS New Year Bird Race this morning. Meeting at 8 at the Downslink and heading down to Woods Mill for part 1. In and around Woods Mill we clocked up 36 different species, including obliging Water Rail,
Coal Tit and Reed Bunting at the feeders where we all heard (but didn’t see) a Bullfinch, a Sparrowhawk which dashed through the undergrowth, and a Snipe in the meadow – just as well as we didn’t record any of these again! Break for coffee and a chat with Mike followed.
Along the millstream we found the only Stonechat of the day, all 3 “regular” geese and a non-counting Black Swan. Surprisingly, not a Skylark or Meadow Pipit here – or anywhere else. When we reached the Downslink we went south as far as Stretham, where Will spotted something black & white in the river – our first ever Bird Race Goosander! A Red Kite perched in a tree to the west caused us a few id problems as we hoped it was something rarer! Nigel P scanned the fields and found a Peregrine on the ground, there were all the expected ducks (bar Gadwall) on the water, plenty of Lapwings and a lovely group of Golden Plover went over. We were still short of thrushes (only Blackbird & Song Thrush by now), but Fieldfares were doing some skating across the ice nearby. A Goldcrest proved difficult for all to see, but we did in the end, but still no Great Spot. Nige said there was one near Eddie’s on Thursday, so we walked the field below South View Terrace, and two of us heard one drumming (has to be 3 for the species to count!), but we added Redwings and Mistle Thrush which were further over by Grinstead Lane.\
We had our sandwiches at mine just after 2, then had to decide whether to head up to Betley for an uncertain Barn Owl or to go down to Rye Farm for a probable Chiffchaff and Grey Wagtail. We went for the more certain, and indeed found both, then a group of Linnets in the top of a tree, some Gadwall on the floods near Buckwish, and at last, a Great Spotted Woodpecker called, Nige heard it so it counted!
66 different species were seen which brings our all time total up to 95, and is only 1 short of our record score of 67 – though that must predate my record sheet, as it’s just a number in my memory!
Val Bentley et al, 13th January 2025