Another Session at the Winter Feeding Station.

 It was a beautiful sunny day when I reversed into my parking spot in the wood; cloudless bt cold at only 7C and with a brisk SW wind.  The snowdrops are now coming into their prime and carpet both sides of the drive in a swathe.  Round the corner in front of the stable outbuildings the aconites are also pushing through the carpet of dry, crisp leaves.

I walked through the wood to the hide contemplating how dry it was.  I only needed ordinary walking trainers.  In previous years the track has been a quagmire but for a few years now it has been worryingly dry.  Climate change in action, perhaps.  The sunny weather is lovely but rainfall is worryingly below normal, even with a wet early January.  As I sat in the hide the crisp, dry leaves were being blown around playfully by the brisk wind, on occasion deceiving me into thinking it was a bird.

It was fairly active at the feeders with plenty of tits, robins, blackbirds and a good number of chaffinches.  I was pleased to have a visit from a tree creeper.  They do occasionally put in an appearance and if I am quick enough I have successfully photographed them; however, they never use the feeders, concentrating instead in probing the bark of whichever tree they are climbing. They spiral up a tree and when they reach a desired height they fly to the base of the next and repeat the process. The treecreeper is one of our smallest and lightes birds weighing only 10g - not much more than a £1 coin.  Although a resident bird, they do struggle in exceptionall cold winters so the current milder weather helps them.

Fat seems to be the main draw at the moment, especially for long tailed tits and woodpecker so I think its time to make up some of my patent peanut and fat mixture which tends to be a real attraction.

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Blackbird

Blackbird

Blackbird

Blackbird

Blackbird

Blackbird

Blue Tit

Blue Tit

Blue Tit

Blue Tit

Blue Tit

Chaffinch

Chaffinch

Great Tit

Pheasant

Pheasant

Robin

Snowdrops

Snowdrops

The Goldcrest is still present in the cemetery.

 A cold but clear day today for my walk around the cemetery and Horsefield.  I was delighted to see that the goldcrest was still present in the same location in the cemetery as was the bullfinch trio in the woodland burial ground.  I was intrigued by this as bullfinches are thought to be monogamous; perhaps this trio are the remains of a winter flock.  I was pleased to see a group of long-tailed tits in the woodland burial ground and a buzzard soaring over the Horsefield.  I wait with anticipation for meadow pipits, skylarks and linnets returning to the Horsefield after spending the winter on our saltmarshes.

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Female bullfinch, woodland burial ground.

A Winter Walk at Donna Nook

 It was cloudless with a gentle westerly breeze as Heather, Brian and I pulled into the car park at Donna Nook.  Donna Nook is mostly known for the breeding seal colony that is a huge tourist attraction in November and December each year when nearly 2000 pups are born, but it is also an excellent area for wildlige generally.  There are large numbers of birds (it is still a reliable place to hear and see cuckoos), it is rich in plant life and a good location for butterflies, especially the beautiful green hairstreak. In land of the beach and mudflats are extensive areas of salt marsh and then a line of large sand dunes behind which is a large area of wetland.  This was, until recently, reclaimed farmland but the sluice controlling the chanel draining the fields was removed allowing the area to flood on high tides, especially during storm surges.  In this way it is hoped to prevent flooding of fields and coastal comunities. This area of managed realignment is particularly rich in bird life and is designed to mitigate against wild areas that have been lost to orther sea defences.

Our walk took us north along the path on the edge of the salt marsh until we crossed over the dunes at the site of the old Pye's Hall where the sluice once prevented tidal waters flooding the fields.  How times change.  Here we sheltered behind the dunes for luch before making our way back to the car park.  

We were pleased to see large numbers of lapwing and linnets, meadow pipits and skylarks were busy on the salt marsh; I wait with anticipation for these last three species to return to the Horsefield as spring kicks in. On the lagoon closet to the car park were large numbers of teal and black-tailed godwit.

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Looking towards the trees that once sheltered Pye's Hall.

The flood prevention area.

Lapwing

Lapwing

Lapwing

A Special Bird in the Cemetery

 A mild, but overcast and gloomy day today for my walk around the cemetery, woodland burial ground and Horsefield.  It was good to be out however and catching sight of our smallest bird, the goldcrest, made it a worthy visit.  They are tiny weighing only 5.5g and smaller than the head of one of our largest the majestic golden eagle.

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Magpie, Cemetery, 2021

The Horsefield

Covenham Twitching

 It was fortunately mild (11C) as Brian and I parked at Covenham because there was a strong westerly wind blowing which would have made it very cold on top of the reservoir bank.  As it was, it was not unpleasant. We walked a full circuit of the reservoir, delighting in the good numbers of goldeneye, some of the males already displaying to the females present.  We saw at least 6 great crested grebes, again one pair begining their courtship ritual.  The highlight of the visit, though, was the winter plumage great northern diver, or loon in America, which gave good views through the 'scope.  The last one I had seen was in 2015 on Loch na Keal on Mull, but then it had been in magnificent summer breeding plumage.

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Great Northern Diver, Mull 2015.

Great crested Grebe, Covenham

Male Goldeneye, Covenham

A Slow Session at the Feeding Station

 A return to the wood today for some bird photography.  It was overcast when I arrived but with signs of brightening.  Sadly this was false optimism as the brightness went and it turned positively gloomy.  Perhaps it was this, but activity was very slow today.  I did, however, enjoy some time photographing the snowdrops and aconites and experimenting with focus stacking using moss.

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Aconite

Aconite

Blue tit

The secret workd of moss.

Snowdrops

Snowdrops

Snowdrops

Snowdrop

A Raven over the Wood.

A visit to Callows today to top up the winter feeding station feeders.  It was a day of mixed cloud and sun (8C) with a strong westerly wind making it feel cold.  As I walked through the wood crisp, dry leaves and twigs crackled underfoot and the wind roared in the trees like distant surf pounding on a beach.  Snowdrops and aconites were coming along, although not yet in their prime.  A highlight while topping up the feeders was the cronking of the raven and looking up I just caught it flapping over the wood.  Driving away from the wood I was pleased to see a mixed flock of redwing and fieldfare in a roadside oak with a single mistle thrush with them.

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