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.
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