Monday 28 March - Easter Update

Bouncing through updates rather than a live up to date blog... but hey it's been busy - and following worst storm of the Winter last night - just when  Spring has started officially !!

Good Friday was the nicest weather - bright with a bit of cloud and gentle breeze, perfect spring weather. Certainly a good day for birds of Prey, with 8-10 Buzzards, Sparrowhawk, 2 Red Kite performing frequent fly overs throughout the day and best of all 4 Goshawk sightings involving at least 2 different birds.  The other significant development was 2 singing Firecrests in the gully , seemingly later starting up than last year but nice to see they are present again,.

The finch flock is still present, with a peak of 12 Brambling recorded today with 7 males, now wearing their Spring best clothes.

An afternoon trip to Pulborough Brooks today had almost more people than birds but it was a Bank Holiday. There was also the attraction of a drake American Wigeon which showed from the West Mead hide although spent much of the time dozing. The Winter wildfowl flocks have almost fully dispersed with only very low numbers of Teal, Wigeon, Shoveler and Pintail left, although early signs of Spring with 2 Sand Martins, 4 singing Chiffchaffs and a Adder which was curled up in the grass waiting for the sun.

Firecrest in Garden

and in full song

male Bramblings

Sunday March 13th - Another Update of very little

A pleasant spell of almost Spring-like weather with overnight frost and clear sunny days although maybe not reaching double figures. There is at last a hint that Spring might encourage some bird movement.

A brief excursion to Blackdown reminded me that Spring is potentially a little way off - A few Redwing were still present. A very brief view of a Dartford Warbler and a single Stonechat were followed by views of at least 10 Crossbill in a couple of small family parties.

 A more recent spell of fine whether showed a Peregrine, Red Kite, Buzzard and Sparrowhawk - up to 7 Brambling still in the garden with an unusual late evening flock of  13 Pied Wagtail going to roost somewhere local, a Grey Wagtail visited the remnants of the pond recently, which is this years big project hopefully being dug out and redone properly shortly after Easter. Singing birds have become a joy in the ever lighter mornings, with Robins, Wrens, Song Thrush and more recently Blackbird and a noisy Nuthatch just outside the back door along with the cocophony of finches still present, with Chaffinch, Greenfinch, Siskin, Goldfinch, Redpoll and the Brambling still holding good numbers - probably 75+ birds in total. A pair of Mistle Thrushes also visit at the moment although no crests have yet appeared and this time last year a Firecrest had been in territory for a few weeks.

male Crossbill at Blackdown

Sunday 21st February - a slow month

dominated still by weather systems - a couple of cold days followed by wet and windy, with the cycle persisting that Saturday seems to be the wettest and windiest of the week.

Last Sunday after Gary's birthday the night before, I was very slow, the weather was actually bright a northerly wind and a few clouds, so watching from the garden didn't disappoint, my first view of the year of a displaying Goshawk with the addition of Buzzard, Kestrel, Sparrowhawk on ideal conditions for soaring raptors.

I managed a rather wet walk form the house, with little different on offer 5 Bullfinches, Great Spotted Woodpeckers and on the furnace pond still 2 Mandarin, 2 Canada Geese and 3 Mallard. A single Redwing was the only sign of winter.

The bird flock at home is still strong with up to 4 Brambling, with 2 fine males, 20+ Goldfinch, 20+ Siskin., 8 Lesser Redpolls, 10 Greenfinch, 30+ Chaffinch all makes it rather noisy, a Marsh Tit still visits with Long-tailed Tit, Coal Great and Blue tit. A Great Spotted Woodpecker is occasional and a Green Woodpecker more often heard than seen. The Song Thrushes are still belting out just before and after light.

My month has been dominated by working-week  trips to various parts of Europe (Malta, Hamburg, Helsinki and Geneva) - definitely bird free except for the last trip where I had fly-by Nutcracker and a small Woodpecker that was possibly a Three-Toed.