A pair of Song Thrushes visited the garden today.
Debbie Colgate, 24th November 2024
Bird Sightings
Birds (and other interesting things!) seen in and around our patch.
If you want to let us know of something you have seen on our patch, please contact sightings@henfieldbirdwatch.co.uk
Love the Grey Wagtails, we have one here at Swains too, darting around.
Alex Hill, 21st November 2024
Nigel started putting out meal worms yesterday. This morning the Grey Wagtail is back – 3rd year running. We are very excited.
Debbie Colgate, 21st November 2024
On Saturday 16th we had a Redwing on the holly. By the 18th we don’t have any berries left. 🙂
Peter & Penny Meares, 18th November 2024
While walking Ziggy this morning I needed to answer the call of nature, I crept into an area of boggy scrub (no pun intended) and inadvertently flushed a Woodcock, no mistaking that russet rump. I love seeing Woodcock but because of their camouflage and the fact that they sit tight its mostly when they are flushed. Of course, a good time to see Woodcock is in the breeding season when the male is ‘Roding’, flying about his territory at dusk. This sighting was on private land, but it flew off towards Woods Mill.
John Pointing, 15th November 2024
I put up two male Pheasants on the walk round the field by the Cabin this morning, much to the dogs’delight! I haven’t seen any around for so long, it was quite a novel sight.
Liz Taylor, 13th November 2024
I had a quick walk down to Berretts this morning. Nothing feeding on the sunflowers though there were plenty of Chaffinches in the surrounding trees. Heard a Fieldfare go over, a Green Woodpecker and Great Spotted Woodpecker, all of which were additions to the list of 39 species we had yesterday.
Val Bentley, 13th November 2024
The Blackbirds are back in our garden. We have two males scurrying around trying to peck each other’s tails and a lone female who gets chased off by one of the males as soon as she sets a claw on the ground. I’m sure she’ll get more cunning and will soon be running rings round them.
Debbie Colgate, 13th November 2024
New member Mark and Angela joined me and Ezio this morning. After info regarding a Brambling on the sunflowers near The Cabin, we diverted that way but could only find Chaffinches. Some small birds seemed to be flitting around a blob in a tree the other side of the field, which turned out to be a nicely posed male Kestrel. Jays, Long-tailed Tit and Nuthatch were calling as we headed off to go under the bridge to the fields, a Buzzard was sitting low down in a tree at the foot of the embankment and a Raven cronked. “Merlin” picked up Firecrest and Siskin call, but I can’t count merlin-only records!
Not much standing water, but the wet fields held 75 Lapwings and two Stonechats on the scrub. Further down were parties of Rooks, Crows and Jackdaws. On the pools were about 50 Wigeon in two groups, a few Teal, 10 Pintail, and grazing geese comprised 140 Greylag, 160 Canadas and 3 Egyptian. A lone Little Egret, 5 Grey Herons and two Mute Swans were noted, as were a flock of 30 Starlings. One of the swans looked “crashed”, but then got up and walked away. Chaffinch, Greenfinch and Goldcrest heard on the way to Stretham.
Along the river were two more adult swans, plus one of this year’s cygnets though that was on its own. Another 2 Stonechats in the scrub, and Meadow Pipits heard in the fields. Pretty quiet down past Frogshole and Rye Farm. We checked the trackside ponds and Mark saw something scuttle across, possibly a Water Rail, but it didn’t re-emerge. Then Angela needed to get on with the rest of her day while Mark and I doubled back and had another go at the sunflowers, with better success, not only more Chaffinches than earlier, but we managed a good ‘scope view of a Brambling and were able to show it to a couple from Shoreham too! First I’ve seen here for years, but too distant for a pic.
Val Bentley, 12th November 2024
A few Fieldfares on the apples in my garden this morning.
Roger French, 12th November 2024