Anyone who was foolish enough to follow my previous blog Tirley Twittering will remember that the previous landowners were really everything that was bad as far nature conservation was concerned .The hedges were smashed to bits ,no old growth tree, no rough ground ,damp areas , generally all that a landowner could do to destroy nature was done. So it gives me great pleasure to report that the farmer that owns the land that surrounds my cottage actually farms with wildlife benefit in mind. He actively plants crops ,leaves weedy field margins, plants game crops, and actually provides food in the winter months for the winter visitors and resident birds from October to March .
It is true that are active Pheasent shoots from October to February (and that is hard to stomach ) but in the same breathe its good to report that the shooting of Woodcock , Snipe and Grey Partridge is strictly forbidden .
Having spoken to him he is really keen to know what is about and how he can improve the numbers and range of bird species ,it seems as if I really have fallen on my feet.
So Sunday dawned as a cold , misty day and it seemed as if it would be rude not to go out and see what was on the patch . I decided to take a look at walk 1 and had invited a fellow birder along , they will take photographs of the patch in order so that you can see where I am talking about .
The field opposite the cottage held a large mixed flock of Fieldfare and Redwing, they were both feeding on the thawing pasture. The final totals for these species were again high with 150 +Fieldfare and 105 +Redwing . This area really seems to have a healthy wintering population of these winter visitors. It also seems that an influx of Blackbirds has occurred and I saw 20 + on my around the patch .There seems a good number of rather swarthy looking continental birds in amongst the locals.
The other bird that seems to do well in this area is the Yellowhammer and once again 34 +were seen , I was lucky to see 1 on my old patch . I seem to have found the areas where the Skylarks are , and I managed to find 31 around the pastures.
On the weedy margins a nice flock of 21 Linnet were feeding in the weeds and they were joined by a nice charm of at least 25 Goldfinch.
As I entered the more wooded area of the walk ,several wood land species were seen . 2 Green Woodpecker and a single Greater Spotted Woodpecker drummed, a sign that spring is not to far away.
A pair of Nutatch were very showy, calling to each other. A Jay called from deep inside the wood but could not been seen. There seems a healthy population of Bullfinch and once again 2 more were seen, its a bird I see on almost every walk.
Its always a pleasure to see Goldcrest and a lovely female was busy feeding in an old ivy covered tree. Birds of prey today were 3 Buzzard and a single female Kestrel . As the cottage neared one Snipe exploded from rough ground and another one was heard as it flew over.
So Monday morning after the mist had cleared was just stunning, I had finished work early and was keen to get out as it felt quite spring like. I opted to walk the number 2 walk and explore the area in more depth .It proved to be the right decision and it was one the best days I have had watching birds on farmland.
161 Fieldfare were on the field opposite and of course the Redwings were keeping them company and 76 were feeding along their larger cousin . 19 Blackbirds and 5 Song Thrush were scattered amongst the winter visitors.
The first Lapwing which have landed on the patch were present with 4 briefly before they flew off to the north .
The areas of game crop and rough fields were fantastic with large numbers of birds feeding there. There were at least 110 plus Yellowhammers , 3 Reed Bunting ,3 Corn Bunting, 100 plus Chaffinch , 77 plus Linnet and small numbers of Greenfinch .It was fantastic to see such numbers and a real credit to the farmer.
A fine highlight was a superb female Peregrine Falcon that was sitting in the middle of a field on a kill . A great sight and I watched for 20 mins before she flew off eastwards. Other birds of prey were a female Kestrel and 3 Buzzard.
A fine showy Jay was in the game cover and as I watched it , 8 Grey Partridge fed on the weedy field and I was able to get some great views. The farmer tells me that he has for the last 15 years tried to help these birds, it seems to be working.
A male and female Stonechat were feeding on a dung heap and there seems to be plenty of habitat for them to stay and breed.
The best of the rest were a Green Woodpecker, 5 Stock Dove and 2 fine male Bullfinch and a single flyover Skylark.
The patch shows so much potential its frightening and I really cannot wait for the spring, rest assured I will keep you updated.
Monday, 23 January 2017
Thursday, 19 January 2017
Patch Defined and a fantastic flock
A stunning morning so after getting home from work there was only one option. I have defined the patch from which I will monitor. There are 3 walks .Walk one is the longest one with plenty of fine habitat , open farmland, rough ground, game crop and some rather good looking damp woodland.
Walk two is the shortest walk ,it has the highest elevation with good views over Kemble and surrounding countryside. It looks good when visible migration is the order of the day . Walk three is again open countryside with all the above same habitats but at a lower elevation. I hope to put some pictures on soon so you can all get the idea of what I am going on about !
So today I opted for walk two. There was a real feel of spring ,with plenty of bird song. Great Tit, Dunnock ,Skylark and Robin being the most prevalent.
The most interesting thing was the large mixed flock of 75 +Chaffinch , 60 +Linnet and 40 +Yellowhammer feeding on game crop , a great sight and sadly a bit more rarer than it should be. I ended up counting over 100 Linnets overall .
On the winter Thrush front, there were good counts of 320 plus Fieldfare and 100 plus Redwing, they looked very dapper in the sunshine and it will not be long before they move north to their summer home .In contrast there appeared just normal numbers of Blackbirds today.
As I neared the wooded area on this walk, 4 fine Roe Deer were grazing on the woodland edge. There was a very showy Nutatch and a drumming Greater Spotted Woodpecker. I could hear a Bullfinch gently pewing away ,but I could not get a bead on it. As I entered the more open country a Green Woodpecker flew over calling loudly.
Over the fields a solitary Meadow Pipit passed over and there were around 15 Skylark on and over the fields. They appeared to be in pairs so I am presuming these are the local birds and the big flocks I am seeing are winterers .
I managed to get a fleeting glimpse of 3 Grey Partridge as they shot away from me . I could hear another calling from some long vegetation ,but I could not see it. 2 Red Legged Partridge completed the Partridge family
The final birds of note were 4 Stock Dove. One last thing ,its pleasing to report that the locale has a healthy House Sparrow population , little flocks are around every cottage, just great to see.
I will keep you updated.
Walk two is the shortest walk ,it has the highest elevation with good views over Kemble and surrounding countryside. It looks good when visible migration is the order of the day . Walk three is again open countryside with all the above same habitats but at a lower elevation. I hope to put some pictures on soon so you can all get the idea of what I am going on about !
So today I opted for walk two. There was a real feel of spring ,with plenty of bird song. Great Tit, Dunnock ,Skylark and Robin being the most prevalent.
The most interesting thing was the large mixed flock of 75 +Chaffinch , 60 +Linnet and 40 +Yellowhammer feeding on game crop , a great sight and sadly a bit more rarer than it should be. I ended up counting over 100 Linnets overall .
On the winter Thrush front, there were good counts of 320 plus Fieldfare and 100 plus Redwing, they looked very dapper in the sunshine and it will not be long before they move north to their summer home .In contrast there appeared just normal numbers of Blackbirds today.
As I neared the wooded area on this walk, 4 fine Roe Deer were grazing on the woodland edge. There was a very showy Nutatch and a drumming Greater Spotted Woodpecker. I could hear a Bullfinch gently pewing away ,but I could not get a bead on it. As I entered the more open country a Green Woodpecker flew over calling loudly.
Over the fields a solitary Meadow Pipit passed over and there were around 15 Skylark on and over the fields. They appeared to be in pairs so I am presuming these are the local birds and the big flocks I am seeing are winterers .
I managed to get a fleeting glimpse of 3 Grey Partridge as they shot away from me . I could hear another calling from some long vegetation ,but I could not see it. 2 Red Legged Partridge completed the Partridge family
The final birds of note were 4 Stock Dove. One last thing ,its pleasing to report that the locale has a healthy House Sparrow population , little flocks are around every cottage, just great to see.
I will keep you updated.
Tuesday, 17 January 2017
Barn Owl Magic
With my work commitments at the moment I am able to finish early enough to get some birding in .I found another area to add to the patch. the habitat looks good with some damp woodland and conifers. Overall it was quiet in this particular area but never the less there were some nice observations.
Once again winter Thrush were plentiful with 140 plus Fieldfare and 135 Redwing , there is a good winter population in these parts it appears. On the Finch front flocks of 21 Linnet and a scattering of Chaffinches with 16 seen on the walk , the odd Bullfinch showed itself .
It was good to see a fine flock of 55 Stock Dove flying over , its the most I have seen in a single flock in these parts. Another flock of 33 Skylark was over a stubble field , it appears that they do winter in good numbers around here. I was just not seeing the roving flocks when I first went out.
3 Buzzards were soaring over woodland and a Kestrel was hovering over a field and was seen to take a large earth worm .
Only 2 Yellowhammer were about ,very surprising as they are in good numbers elsewhere on the patch. 2 jays called as they dipped over a hedgerow and then my attention was captured by the call of the first Raven I have seen here .
The last bird of note was the sadly declining Mistle Thrush which was in amongst a small flock of Fieldfare, perhaps it was from the north as well and is just wintering here.
So after work on Tuesday I decided to venture into the murk and see what I could muster up ,it felt birdy as I had already heard and seen two different Tawny Owls as I left for work in the wee small hours.
The pasture opposite the cottage held a good sized mixed flock of Fieldfare and Redwings. The final totals for the walk were 205+and 60 +respectively . There seemed to have been a bit of an influx of Thrush generally with 7 Song Thrush and 29 +Blackbird ,the latter included some continental looking birds .
The dry stone walls and hedges held 37 plus Yellowhammer and the first Reed Bunting that I have seen on the patch ,a rather shy female which tried to stay hidden in rough vegetation.
on the finch front a flock of 25 + Linnet passed over and as usual Bullfinch showed well with 5 been seen today, there seems to be a good number around here. There small numbers of Greenfinch ,Chaffinch and Goldfinch also but no big flocks. .
I went to the field that had held the large flock of Skylark the other day and sure enough a flock of 55 was above the pasture, it appears that there is good number wintering locally. They have always been a cause celeb for me given their decline
I then found another track which I followed ,the habitat again is outstanding and I really cannot wait for the spring and summer , this area held 4 Greater Spotted Woodpecker two of which were drumming (spring is coming ), 3 Green Woodpecker shot between the trees and the area held good numbers of common birds. A jay was heard but not seen .I used only see them in the Autumn back in Tirley.
Turning back towards the cottage a flock of 31 Meadow Pipit passed over and another was seen in rough ground later. 3 Pied Wagtails called as they flew over .
Birds of prey today were a female Kestrel and 5 Buzzards in and around the general area.
With the cottage in sight a Nutatch called .
As I made my way through an area of rough ground where I was hoping to see a Woodcock , no luck today my attention was alerted by a sound that I thought would be a Squirrel as I turned a fantastic Barn Owl emerged from a hole in an old tree ,it flew within 10 feet from me ,it looked at me and then made its way into the mist disappearing down a wooded glade, truly magical , sometimes mother nature delivers the most fantastic sights. Just incredible !
As I neared home a single Stock Dove passed , and a Snipe was heard .
A great walk for a dreary day and this area is so underwatched goodnesss what will turn up
Once again winter Thrush were plentiful with 140 plus Fieldfare and 135 Redwing , there is a good winter population in these parts it appears. On the Finch front flocks of 21 Linnet and a scattering of Chaffinches with 16 seen on the walk , the odd Bullfinch showed itself .
It was good to see a fine flock of 55 Stock Dove flying over , its the most I have seen in a single flock in these parts. Another flock of 33 Skylark was over a stubble field , it appears that they do winter in good numbers around here. I was just not seeing the roving flocks when I first went out.
3 Buzzards were soaring over woodland and a Kestrel was hovering over a field and was seen to take a large earth worm .
Only 2 Yellowhammer were about ,very surprising as they are in good numbers elsewhere on the patch. 2 jays called as they dipped over a hedgerow and then my attention was captured by the call of the first Raven I have seen here .
The last bird of note was the sadly declining Mistle Thrush which was in amongst a small flock of Fieldfare, perhaps it was from the north as well and is just wintering here.
So after work on Tuesday I decided to venture into the murk and see what I could muster up ,it felt birdy as I had already heard and seen two different Tawny Owls as I left for work in the wee small hours.
The pasture opposite the cottage held a good sized mixed flock of Fieldfare and Redwings. The final totals for the walk were 205+and 60 +respectively . There seemed to have been a bit of an influx of Thrush generally with 7 Song Thrush and 29 +Blackbird ,the latter included some continental looking birds .
The dry stone walls and hedges held 37 plus Yellowhammer and the first Reed Bunting that I have seen on the patch ,a rather shy female which tried to stay hidden in rough vegetation.
on the finch front a flock of 25 + Linnet passed over and as usual Bullfinch showed well with 5 been seen today, there seems to be a good number around here. There small numbers of Greenfinch ,Chaffinch and Goldfinch also but no big flocks. .
I went to the field that had held the large flock of Skylark the other day and sure enough a flock of 55 was above the pasture, it appears that there is good number wintering locally. They have always been a cause celeb for me given their decline
I then found another track which I followed ,the habitat again is outstanding and I really cannot wait for the spring and summer , this area held 4 Greater Spotted Woodpecker two of which were drumming (spring is coming ), 3 Green Woodpecker shot between the trees and the area held good numbers of common birds. A jay was heard but not seen .I used only see them in the Autumn back in Tirley.
Turning back towards the cottage a flock of 31 Meadow Pipit passed over and another was seen in rough ground later. 3 Pied Wagtails called as they flew over .
Birds of prey today were a female Kestrel and 5 Buzzards in and around the general area.
With the cottage in sight a Nutatch called .
As I made my way through an area of rough ground where I was hoping to see a Woodcock , no luck today my attention was alerted by a sound that I thought would be a Squirrel as I turned a fantastic Barn Owl emerged from a hole in an old tree ,it flew within 10 feet from me ,it looked at me and then made its way into the mist disappearing down a wooded glade, truly magical , sometimes mother nature delivers the most fantastic sights. Just incredible !
As I neared home a single Stock Dove passed , and a Snipe was heard .
A great walk for a dreary day and this area is so underwatched goodnesss what will turn up
Sunday, 15 January 2017
Finding my feet
After getting back from work, I grabbed my Binos and headed out. As far as I can tell at the moment the patch will consist of two walks ,both have similar habitats with one offering more mature woods ,however I opted for what I will call patch 1 .
The thawing pasture had the usual good numbers of Fieldfares and Redwing feeding with 80 plus of the latter and 130 plus of the former .Fieldfares are attractive birds at the best of times but an individual with a pure white head gave a momentarily heart failure ,but it turned out to be just an extra special Fieldfare, a real stunner .
One of the best features of my new abode is the presence of a wonderful game crop field right next to the cottage, it usually holds good numbers of birds and 60 plus Linnet and 25 plus Yellowhammer proved the norm. There were no Corn Buntings today, but they appear to be present in small numbers.
The gull that is around these parts is the Common Gull and 65 floated around the pastures. Birds of the day for me was a small flock of 9 Golden Plover which flew low to my right , really wonderful birds and one of my favourites .
A feature of one of the fields is the presence of some wintering Snipe , they hide in the rough damp ground and although I only saw 2 today I am sure there are more present , my high count so far in my brief time here is 19 , heres hoping for a Jack Snipe!!. One of the birds that has been lacking in relevant terms has been the Skylark , I have only seen the odd 1 or 2 so it was fantastic to see a flock of 130 plus over pasture. It was the largest flock I think I have ever seen .A small flock of 6 Meadow Pipits were seen again another bird that seems not to be so plentiful as my last patch.
The wooded copses held Green Woodpecker, Greater Spotted Woodpecker, Nutatch , a nice small flock of 20 Chaffinch were feeding on the beech mast, alas no Brambling so far. The best of the rest were 2 Red Legged Partridge (patch tick ), 3 Bullfinch and a nice flock of 80 or so Starling .
There is plenty more to see here and over the next few weeks and months I hope to be able to share it with you. Now just waiting for those Waxwings ....................this report is for Saturday
The thawing pasture had the usual good numbers of Fieldfares and Redwing feeding with 80 plus of the latter and 130 plus of the former .Fieldfares are attractive birds at the best of times but an individual with a pure white head gave a momentarily heart failure ,but it turned out to be just an extra special Fieldfare, a real stunner .
One of the best features of my new abode is the presence of a wonderful game crop field right next to the cottage, it usually holds good numbers of birds and 60 plus Linnet and 25 plus Yellowhammer proved the norm. There were no Corn Buntings today, but they appear to be present in small numbers.
The gull that is around these parts is the Common Gull and 65 floated around the pastures. Birds of the day for me was a small flock of 9 Golden Plover which flew low to my right , really wonderful birds and one of my favourites .
A feature of one of the fields is the presence of some wintering Snipe , they hide in the rough damp ground and although I only saw 2 today I am sure there are more present , my high count so far in my brief time here is 19 , heres hoping for a Jack Snipe!!. One of the birds that has been lacking in relevant terms has been the Skylark , I have only seen the odd 1 or 2 so it was fantastic to see a flock of 130 plus over pasture. It was the largest flock I think I have ever seen .A small flock of 6 Meadow Pipits were seen again another bird that seems not to be so plentiful as my last patch.
The wooded copses held Green Woodpecker, Greater Spotted Woodpecker, Nutatch , a nice small flock of 20 Chaffinch were feeding on the beech mast, alas no Brambling so far. The best of the rest were 2 Red Legged Partridge (patch tick ), 3 Bullfinch and a nice flock of 80 or so Starling .
There is plenty more to see here and over the next few weeks and months I hope to be able to share it with you. Now just waiting for those Waxwings ....................this report is for Saturday
Monday, 9 January 2017
All About Ashley
Hello Everyone !
What was Tirley Twittering is now All about Ashley. Why ? I hear you ask ,well my life has taken somewhat of right turn and as a result I am living in a small hamlet in the southern Cotswolds. The area is very close to Cotswold airport and the terrain is very much different from the Tirley area. I am now much higher up with Cotswold stone walls ,there are plenty of wooded copses ,weedy fields , and even a few damp areas .
So I have walked the area and have got the vestiges of a new patch. The birds are very much different and with the habitat there would appear to be plenty of scope for what I believe to be a under watched area.
So I will start with the birds seen so far on the patch ,after 4 walks, I think you will agree its got lot to offer and I will try to keep you up to date on the seasonable comings and goings.
So here is the check list so far,
Woodpigeon,
Linnet,
Fieldfare,
Chaffinch,
House Sparrow,
Redwing,
Collared Dove,
Yellowhammer,
Corn Bunting,
Pheasent,
Dunnock,
Wren,
Robin,
Long Tailed Tit,
Great Tit,
Blue Tit,
Greater Spotted Woodpecker,
Jackdaw,
Goldfinch,
Starling,
Jay,
Bullfinch,
Common Gull,
Rook,
Song Thrush,
Skylark,
Buzzard,,
Stock Dove,
Greenfinch, #
Magpie,
Nutatch,
Mistle Thrush,
Kestrel,
Sparrowhawk,
Goldcrest,
Stonechat,
Mallard,
Tawny Owl,
Green Woodpecker,
Woodcock,
Grey Partridge,
Snipe,
Peregrine Falcon
Golden Plover,
Lesser Black Backed Gull
So far 45 species and with plenty of places to explore its looking good .So if you feel like dropping in once and awhile and seeing whats about in these parts then you are most welcome.
What was Tirley Twittering is now All about Ashley. Why ? I hear you ask ,well my life has taken somewhat of right turn and as a result I am living in a small hamlet in the southern Cotswolds. The area is very close to Cotswold airport and the terrain is very much different from the Tirley area. I am now much higher up with Cotswold stone walls ,there are plenty of wooded copses ,weedy fields , and even a few damp areas .
So I have walked the area and have got the vestiges of a new patch. The birds are very much different and with the habitat there would appear to be plenty of scope for what I believe to be a under watched area.
So I will start with the birds seen so far on the patch ,after 4 walks, I think you will agree its got lot to offer and I will try to keep you up to date on the seasonable comings and goings.
So here is the check list so far,
Woodpigeon,
Linnet,
Fieldfare,
Chaffinch,
House Sparrow,
Redwing,
Collared Dove,
Yellowhammer,
Corn Bunting,
Pheasent,
Dunnock,
Wren,
Robin,
Long Tailed Tit,
Great Tit,
Blue Tit,
Greater Spotted Woodpecker,
Jackdaw,
Goldfinch,
Starling,
Jay,
Bullfinch,
Common Gull,
Rook,
Song Thrush,
Skylark,
Buzzard,,
Stock Dove,
Greenfinch, #
Magpie,
Nutatch,
Mistle Thrush,
Kestrel,
Sparrowhawk,
Goldcrest,
Stonechat,
Mallard,
Tawny Owl,
Green Woodpecker,
Woodcock,
Grey Partridge,
Snipe,
Peregrine Falcon
Golden Plover,
Lesser Black Backed Gull
So far 45 species and with plenty of places to explore its looking good .So if you feel like dropping in once and awhile and seeing whats about in these parts then you are most welcome.
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