Churchill (1 Viewer)

Peter Hayes

Thanks for the encouraging words. Not sure My literary skills are quite up to a magazine article, but if I keep practising in BF who knows!

Cheers

Steve

Charles Harper

I've never been to Japan the closest I've been to your neck of the woods is Thailand. We hired a car and took off into the back country. We did find the written language a problem as everything was written in Thai script. Even finding a hotel could be very tricky. I noted the Thai script for hotel which helped but it also had us knocking on the doors of a school and a small hospital which at first we thought might be hotels. Think I can appreciate something of the problems you are having.

Good luck

Steve

Latest update.

I have added two more species to the list for the 10km square, these are Willow Warbler and Yellow Wagtail making a grand total of 76 species and 1 sub species so far. Also another species has been seen in all of the 25 tetrads and this is Blue Tit. Below I have listed The species seen, in order of how many tetrads they have so far been seen in:

Woodpigeon 25 tetrads
C. Crow 25
Blackbird 25
Chaffinch 25
B Tit 25
R N Pheasant 23
Jackdaw 22
G Tit 19
Rook 18
Starling 18
Robin 18
C Dove 17
S Thrush 16
Greenfinch 15
Yellowhammer 15
Swallow 14
Kestrel 14
Magpie 13
Mallard 12
P Wagtail 11
H Sparrow 11
Wren 11
Dunnock 10
Buzzard 9
Goldfinch 9
Swift 9
C Goose 8
S Dove 8
G S Woodpecker 8
Skylark 8
C Pheasant 8
Bullfinch 8
M Thrush 7
Linnet 7
L T Tit 7
C Tit 6
Nuthatch 6
M Swan 6
Moorhen 6
H Martin 6
Chiffchaff 5
Blackcap 5
L Grebe 5
Coot 5
R L Partridge 5
G Heron 4
Sparrowhawk 4
Lapwing 4
Fieldfare 4
Goldcrest 4
L Owl 4
Whitethroat 4
R Bunting 4
S Flycatcher 3
M Tit 3
Treecreeper 3
Raven 3
L B B Gull 2
G Woodpecker 2
G Wagtail 2
Cormorant 2
Snipe 2
B Owl 2
G Partridge 2
F Pigeon 2
T Duck 2
Hobby 1
L S Woodpecker 1
W Tit 1
Jay 1
Redwing 1
M Pipit 1
R Kite 1
C Gull 1
Crossbill 1
Will Warbler 1
Y Wagtail 1

Bert

Many thanks for the encouragement.

Cheers

Steve

Keep it up Steve its all making an interesting read.

Swift

Thanks glad you find it interesting.

I note from your profile that you have seen over 3000 species. Pretty impressive to one who's world list stands at just under 1100. I know the effort I have had to put in to get that far.
I have never really been a species twitcher more of a habitat twitcher. I love birding in remote and different habitats to see what's about and get an angle on how that habitat functions.

Love to hear about some of your trips.

Cheers

Steve

Latest Update on 9/6/2003.

Jackdaw has become a100per center and 3 more species have been seen in the 10km square and these are Kingfisher, Garden Warbler and Lesser Whitethroat. This gives me a total of 79 species and 1 sub species to date. Latest figures for how many tetrads the species have been seen in are as follows:
Woodpigeon 25
C Crow 25
Blackbird 25
Chaffinch 25
B Tit 25
Jackdaw 25
R N Pheasant 24
G Tit 19
Robin 19
Rook 19
Starling 18
C Dove 17
S Thrush 17
Swallow 16
Greenfinch 15
Yellowhammer 16
Kestrel 14
Magpie 13
Mallard 13
H Sparrow 12
Skylark 12
P Wagtail 11
Wren 11
Dunnock 10
Goldfinch 10
Swift 10
S Dove 10
Buzzard 9
Linnet 9
Bullfinch 9
C Goose 8
G S Woodpecker 8
C Pheasant 8
M Thrush 8
L T Tit 8
Nuthatch 7
Moorhen 7
H Martin 7
Blackcap 7
Whitethroat 7
C Tit 6
M Swan 6
Chiffchaff 6
L Grebe 5
Coot 5
R L Partridge 5
S Flycatcher 5
G Heron 5
Sparrowhawk 4
Lapwing 4
Fieldfare 4
Goldcrest 4
L Owl 4
R Bunting 4
M Tit 4
Treecreeper 3
Raven 3
L B B Gull 2
G Woodpecker 2
G Wagtail 2
Cormorant 2
Snipe 2
B Owl 2
G Partridge 2
F Pigeon 2
T Duck 2
Hobby 1
L S Woodpecker 1
W Tit 1
Jay 1
Redwing 1
M Pipit 1
R Kite 1
C Gull 1
Crossbill 1
Willow Warbler 1
Y Wagtail 1
Kingfisher 1
Garden Warbler 1
L Whitethroat 1

I see that Red Kite only seen in one terad - I thought ( from what I've read, although never been there birdwatching ) they were much more common than that around there ?

The one that really surprises me is Raven, and in 3 tetrads, too - Chipping Norton seems a wholly improbable area for Ravens to me. Checked in the New Breeding Atlas, and the entire 100km square is wholly blank for Raven, too. The nearest mapped Ravens are 60-70km west in the Forest of Dean. Has there been a major range expansion in the last few years?

Michael

Hi Carlos GY

The Red Kite is occasionally seen round here in NE oxon. You are probably aware that they were introduced into the Chilterns on the Oxon/Bucks border about 40 miles from here. But the spread from the release site seems to me to be largely along the Chilterns particularly to the south. They are now regularly seen on the Downs on the Oxon/Berks border.

There seems to be some post breeding dispersal in this direction but I think they then mostly return to the Chilterns and infill around there.

Cheers

Steve

Michael Frankis

I have a copy of the New Breeding Atlas and you are quite right they were not present round here then.

I used to live on the eastern fringes of the Forest of Dean and in the last 3-4 years that I was there I was seeing them more regularly. 5 years ago I spotted them to the east of Cheltenham on Cleeve Cloud and 3 years ago I first spotted them round here. They seem to like the private estates of which there are several around here. During last year I saw them on approximately 1 in 3 local trips.

I have also had sightings over Blenheim and near Henly on Thames sites which are both to the east of me.

Yes I think there is some form of range extension taking place. Don't know why. But I have heard that Warwickshire is also getting an increased number of sightings.

Well spotted as I also think that the Raven is the ornithological story around here.

Regards

Steve

Hi Steve,

Great news!

Of course Ravens used to be native throughout Britain ~300 years ago, but were exterminated by gamekeeping interests in the east. So it will be a reduction in persecution that is allowing them to recolonise. Nice that they are being allowed to do so!

Up here, there's been a small increase in population, though not (yet) in range; one suggestion that has been made, is that whereas keepers used to shoot crows, they are now getting too lazy to do that, and are using traps instead. And Ravens are too intelligent to get caught in traps. So they are less likely to be killed than before.

Michael

Hi Michael

I think you might be right. Another probable benificiary of the reduction of shooting is the Carrion Crow. My records show a consistent increase year on year since the early 90s. Whereas I used to see them mostly in ones and twos I now regularly see them in small groups.

As for the Raven as far as I am concerned they are a welcome addition here. Their charismatic Kronking call and occasional arial acrobatics enlivens the scene locally.

I hope they make it your way too.

Regards

Steve

hi Steve re. Red Kite .... interesting to read, as is the Raven conversation.

I knew the kite were re-introduced in that area somewhere , but admit to knowing very little of the local geography where you are.

Some interesting stuff coming up Steve.

Hi Carlos

If you are ever travelling along the M40 look out for Red Kites on the edge of the Chilterns where the motorway drops down to the Oxfordshire vale, near Stokenchurch. I have seen as many as 16 spiralling around at that location at one time. Quite a spectacle.

Cheers

Steve