I have been lucky enough to enjoy 2 days off at a time when the weather has been beautiful. Crisp, sunny autumn days are quite stunning on the patch, though today was notably colder, with a frost spread out across the fields when I got to Rowe Barn Farm at 08:30 this morning.
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| Slade's Farm this morning |
The sky was clear, and it became immediately apparent it was perfect conditions for another
Woodpigeon day. I clocked over 1000 yesterday (nothing compared to the
120,000+ over Cardiff!), and today fell only a few hundred short from my arrival to around 13:30. As I climbed up the path to the Ridge big numbers of
Redwings chattered quietly in the holly bushes, but there was no Ring Ouzel here today, after birds here yesterday and Monday. 3
Herring Gulls drifted south as I reached the top, my eyes drawn quickly to the large number of Buntings and Finches on the crops at the summit.
It looks like this winter will again host big numbers of seed-eaters on the Ridge, and the amount had risen since yesterday by a fair bit. In total I logged 7 species - 50+
Linnet, 15+
Reed Bunting, 30+
Chaffinch, 1
Bullfinch, c.25
Siskin, 10+
Goldfinch and 2
Lesser Redpoll (both flying south). Hopefully it won't be long until the Bramblings and Yellowhammers join them, and I really hope to find something special here this winter. Surely a Lapland Bunting, or Mealy Redpoll will drop in, it's just a case of putting in the hours and getting lucky, as the birds are all pretty mobile and hard to pin down.
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| A female Reed Bunting on the Ridge |
Above me, movement was fairly quiet, bar a couple more Herrings, some
Meadow Pipits, about 40
Fieldfare and the Pigeons. I dropped back down, and headed to Winkworth, where my first birds at Rowe's Flashe were a
Grey Heron, an adult and juvenile
Cormorant, 1
Grey Wagtail and 3 drake
Tufted Ducks. At about 08:55 I heard what sounded like a distant
Ring-necked Parakeet to the east. It called again, this time much closer, and before I could get my hands on my binoculars the bird flashed noisily over my head, strongly west. This was a very welcome surprise - patch tick 113 of the year, leaving me just 1 short of my record 114.
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The south-facing sacrificial crop looks perfect for Buntings
and Finches - bring on the Twite & Lapland Longspurs! |
Interestingly, it seems there has been a notable Ring-necked Parakeet dispersal during the past few days. Tice's Meadow had only their 5th record this morning, and I was pleased to learn of a bird near Wintershall, on my bit, yesterday,
via Phillip Lowden, who also had 2 over Shamley Green last week. Parakeet's remain very rare this south of the county, with only 2 on my patch last year. The Thorncombe park gamekeeper has seen a couple before, but the historic total is surely less than 10. I doubt they will remain scarce for that long.
Continuing through Winkworth plenty more Thrushes, Tits and Woodpeckers were noted, and a male
Blackcap feeding on Sorbus Hill was a surprise. From here, it was on to Gate Street Farm, where the plan was to walk from there through Wintershall, Great Brook and Juniper Hill to Hascombe, where we would have lunch at the White Horse. A couple of
Marsh Tit's let off their distinctive call in Great Brook, and a
Red Kite flew over Juniper Hill. However, the best bird was yet another
Ring Ouzel, this one almost certainly a 1st-winter bird. It perched in a dead blackthorn bush for about 30 seconds before flying SW with a few continental
Blackbirds and
Redwings.
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| A flock of Woodpigeons over the Ridge |
Ring Ouzels are rare, but regular autumn visitors here. This week has seen all 3 records for 2016, and last year this species was also fairly late in passing through. A
Tawny Owl began calling as we headed through Juniper Hill, where a
Firecrest called from deep within some holly. I tried unsuccessfully for Woodcock here, and with the sun still beaming we dropped down into Hascombe, and out of the patch boundary.
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| Hascombe village pond - once host to a Puffin |
A couple of Little Grebes were present on the village pond, and I day-dreamed briefly about a crazy 19th-century record of a Puffin on this very water. A patch seabird would be true gold (indeed platinum), and I live in hope that I will get lucky one day. This autumn is enough inspiration, with a probable Pomarine Skua over Blackdown on October 1st, and today a
Little Auk at Blashford Lakes in Hampshire (granted near the sea) for a few hours.
