Wednesday, 16 April 2014

Patch week 15


9th April  A pair of Greylags flew over the Blue lagoon, uncommon on the patch. Dunnocks were being promiscuous as usual signalling with wing flicks etc. Two pairs of yellowhammers were present with the cocks in full song together with lots of Chiffchaffs. An excellent day for butterflies along the Pix brook, Tortoiseshells, Brimstones, Peacocks, Speckled wood, Commas and Orange tips were about. A Blackcap was singing at Norton well and a pair of Buzzards were soaring together.         Patch list 76

10 April  The following  were seen today on a walk along the Greenway:- Linnets singing, Grey partridges, blue tits, dunnocks,  jackdaws, skylarks magpies, goldfinches, kestrels, greenfinches, blackcaps, wrens, swallows, chaffinches, blackbirds, great tits, green woodpeckers, great spotted woodpeckers, song thrushes, house sparrows, mute swan mallard, Canada geese, coot, moorhen, long tailed tits, crows, bullsinches, chiffchaffs galore, starlings, pheasant, black headed gulls, stock doves, robins, wood pigeons, yellowhammers, teal and a green sandpiper. Also noted was a partial albino crow with white wings, it looked very odd. It begs the question as to why I have not seen it before.                                                                                                                           Patch list 77

11th April We took my great niece to the Bird of prey centre at Woodhurst.  She was thrilled to see a buzzard along the roadside en route, and wild kestrels and a red kite over the BOP centre.

12th April An early morning walk along the Greenway brought both Whitethroat and Lesser whitethroats onto the year list on the patch.                                      Patch list 79

13th April  RSPB trip to Pagham harbour. The highlights were a pair of spoonbills, a number of spotted redshanks, some of which were in summer plumage and gannets over the sea.

14th April  Two hours at the Blue lagoon from six fifteen was worth a cold start to the day in bright sunshine. Along the new fenceline I saw a pair of swallows, a male wheatear and a pair of sand martins took the patch list to eighty. A small flock of six Lesser black backed gulls put in a brief and unusual appearance and then moved on. A pair of sparrowhawks did a courtship flight above me. I watched a newly arrived whitethroat for about 45 minutes, bouncing from bush to bush and occasionally popping up just feet away from me.                               Patch list 80

15th April  We went to Rutland water for the day, Minsmere had been planned but the weather forecast brought a change for the sunshine. Highlights were a pair of Ospreys,  inland Sandwich terns and avocets and our first Willow and sedge warblers of the year. All in all a very good week

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