Patch Birding. Spring is nearly here.

 An excellent walk around the local patch today with Nigel.  Again, as at the feeding station there was a great deal of bird activity and it is good to hear bird song again.  I was delighted to see the goldcrest in exactly the same spot agin for the third time in succession.  I really must take the camera but photographing it is going to be a challenge.  On the Horsefield we were both pleased to see that the linnets and skylarks have returned from the saltmarsh.  There were at least 6 singing male skylarks and and several small flocks of linnets.  The bullfinches were present again and we found three jays together.  We were both excited to have close views of a roe deer female curiously watching us from the plantation in the woodland burial ground.

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Skylark. (archive image)

Linnet on the Horsefield, 2020.

Feeding Station Photography

 Another beautifully clear and sunny day; at only 5C chilly in the hide, though.  It was very spring-like today with much bird activity and song.  It was fairly busy at the feeding station and I had three or four visits from the nuthatch.  I had set up a moss-covered log in the hope of capturing some typical nuthatch poses.  I'm pleased to say the tactic was successul.  I had also made up a patent fat mix using pulverised peanuts, meal worms and lard.  This was a definite success, especially for the long-tailed tits which love it.  Still no visit from the woodpecker, although i was delighted to have visits from wren and goldcrest.

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Blue tit

Blue tit

Great Tit

Great Tit

Long-tailed Tit

Long-tailed Tit

Nuthatch

Nuthatch

Nuthatch

Robin

Robin

The Wood

The Wood

Snail

Snowdrops

Snowdrops

Snowdrops and Aconites

Snowdrops and Aconites

The Nev Cole Way, Stage 10

 Our walk today took us from Beelsby of the edge of the Lincolnshire Wolds to the tiny village of Cuxwold.  We left Beelsy via a narrow path between cottages and then passed through the farm run by the Fenwick family.  From the farm the path led across fiels to the village of Hatcliffe.  I have often driven and cycled between the two villages but this path gives a totally different perspective.  Having walked through Hatcliffe the Way heads across fields to Croxby Pond.  In wet weather this section would be very muddy but today was dry with good going.  However, we could see where heavy farm machinary had sunk deep into the soft ground.  Just before reaching Croxby Pond we crossed a superb little chalk stream which rises in ponds in Thorganby.  There came a short road section from the pond, first climbing 'Heartbreak Hill' the scene of many desperate struggles at the end of the locally famous Croxby Crawl races organised by Cleethorpes AC.  I once heldboth the V40 and V45 records for this course but that was more years ago than I care to remember; today I was happy to walk up it with only a couple of stops.  The road section over, the Way took us through Lake Farm with its seemingly abandoned buildings and derelict houses.  Ideal nesting sites for barn owls.  We climbed steeply up from the farm with dramatic end of the day skies and then back down to the car at Cuxwold.  Another excellent stage.

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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