Your local Patch/Reserve. (1 Viewer)

[JCLynn]

Thanks for reviving this thread Wendy, and for adding some more Sutton Bingham photo's. I seem to have joined 'Ex beebs' after the origination of the thread, so now I have a load of new stuff to read.
Excellent stuff!

 

[Wendy Morris]

Back to Sutton Bingham again this afternoon on a very frosty and icy day. As you will see in the pictures, there were dozens of gulls and mallard, and assorted other water birds including coots, duck hybrids and Canadas. There was still some ice around where the sun hadn't got to but nothing like it was in early January last year.

 

[Wendy Morris]

A GBB gull preening on one stretch of ice.

 

[palval147]

Looks as if there was a good ice free stretch of water for the birds there, Wendy. I chuckled at the way some of them were using the ice to roost on, you'd have thought it would give them extremely cold feet though.|:d|

 

[Wendy Morris]

I have been back since my last post on here, but with nothing very exciting to talk about! Spent a couple of hours wandering, sitting and looking this afternoon in glorious warm sunshine.

There were dozens of the usual suspects, Mallard, Rooks, GBBs and Black-heads. At the far end of the reservoir were about 10 pairs of Great Crested Grebe ducking and diving. They were too far away to photograph and I couldn't really see if they were displaying or simply feeding. Four Buzzards were using what thermals there were to soar above, two Blackcaps were singing in the trees in the car park, there was a lone Canada with the ducks, a couple of Coots, Blackbirds, Chaffies and Great Tits. I suspect that the Canada is unable to fly as you can see in the photo, he seems to have a damaged wing.

The fields were full of dandelions, cowslips and whatever the unidentified flower is. I shall check it out later. Only a couple of Orange Tips and a Small Tortoiseshell in the butterfly department.

Lovely way to spend Friday afternoon!

 

[palval147]

Glad you managed to go back there, Wendy. Looks like the Canada Goose has what is called Angel Wing. Was it only one wing? It's a wing that doesn't grow properly.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Angel_Wing

 

[Wendy Morris]

Thanks for that, Val. It's not something that I've heard of before. Yes, it was only one wing, but it seemed to be healthy otherwise.

 

[Fozzybear]

The flower is Cuckooflower Wendy, lots of it on the floodmeadow near my house. Sounds like a great day you had. :t:

I took a dawn walk across the local floodmeadow into town to go to Tesco and it was gorgeous over there, lots of low mist over the ground and rising from the river. Saw the Sedge Warblers are back and then as I had my notebook I thought I'd make a list of what I saw, although I left off counting the Woodpigeons, Collared Doves and Starlings... I'd never have seen the other birds if I'd spent my time counted those!

6 Reed Bunting
2 Sedge Warbler
1 Willow Warbler
3 Whitethroat
4 Blackcap
1 Skylark
1 Chiffchaff
4 Blackbird (inc. 1 fledgling)
1 Greylag Goose
2 Magpie
28 Carrion Crow
5 Mallard
4 Moorhen
7 House Sparrow
6 Wren
1 Common Tern
2 Robin
7 Greenfinch
1 Green Woodpecker
2 Herring Gull
2 Great Tit

90 birds in all but if I'd counted the Starlings and doves/pigeons I'd have doubled that easily. And I didn't see any Blue Tits for a change or that many Greenfinches compared to some days - might have been just a little bit too early for them to be really active or I just didn't spot them.

 

[pstraughan]

Funny that Local Patch has got bumped up the list. I was going to have a rant about mine!

Part of my patch is in the grounds of a country house, now used as a conference centre and retreat. There is an avenue of Scots Pine and Spruce and numerous other scattered trees. Yesterday, 29 April, bird breeding season, the men with the chainsaws and cement mixers were at work. They were not there this time last week.

Last Spring there was at least one pair of Spotted Flycatchers nesting for the fourth year running. I also found Treecreeper, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Jackdaw and Stock Dove nests. Goldcrest, Goldfinch and Willow Tit are also seen regularly plus all the usual suspects. In the winter there are Fieldfares, Redwings and Siskins.

I know we had a bad winter and things have got behind but they could have done this work weeks ago. I can even understand it if some of the trees are dangerous but the number being trimmed means that this can't be the case.

Yesterday the Stock Doves and Jackdaws were outside the park. No sign of any of the others and I'm hoping that when the Spotted Flycatchers turn up they will be able to find a more peaceful spot.

I am so cross.

Pat

 

[Fozzybear]

Unfortunately nesting birds are something that many people just don't think of and some don't care if they disturb them or not. Part and parcel of the separation of society from nature I think.

Hopefully any that are disrupted from nesting will move to another nearby place and try again as it's still fairly early in the season.

 

[Pam_m]

Great additions to the thread Wendy and Paul!

Pat, why don't you voice your concerns to the owners of the estate. Tell them it is your local patch and what you see species wise that nest etc.

 

[palval147]

That is sad about your local patch, Pat. I agree with Pam, talk to the owners about it.

 

[pstraughan]

That is sad about your local patch, Pat. I agree with Pam, talk to the owners about it.

I think I will send them an email. The men working on the estate are contractors and I think the house is owned by a company, not an individual.

Thanks for sharing my concern.

Pat

 

[Fozzybear]

Great additions to the thread Wendy and Paul!

Pat, why don't you voice your concerns to the owners of the estate. Tell them it is your local patch and what you see species wise that nest etc.

Thanks Pam, and good idea about Pat's patch.

 

[pstraughan]

I did send them an email. Apparently one of the trees overhanging the footpath was dangerous and so they had to take a big branch out, which is fair enough. They assured me that no birds were nesting in it.

However, they chose not to explain about the other tree trimming which was going on or the timing. Nor did they seem to understand that they could be causing disturbance to birds nesting in adjacent trees. They thanked me for my concern and said that they take nature very seriously. Hmmm!!

Pat

 

[Fozzybear]

Rather a stock answer from them. 'Thank you for your concern, we take nature/immigration/human rights/the environment/public safety very seriously' (please delete as appropriate). Typical response of that type of organisation. |:||

 

[palval147]

It certainly does sound like a stock answer to me & smacks of, 'mind your own business, we do it our way'.||

 

[Fozzybear]

I did another bird count on Thursday - I posted it in the Essex Birding part of the forum but thought I'd add it here as there's some news... the House Martins are back in Chelmsford! Had a glimpse of a pair at the Essex Record Office where last year there was a large colony - back then I managed to get some shots of them collecting mud from a puddle in the car park and even mating there too so hopefully this year will be good for them. The Grey Wagtails were about more obviously on Thursday too, I'd seen them around a bit before but not as much as I did on Thursday which hopefully is a sign of them starting to collect food for young. I made a note of the birds I saw walking from the Baddow Meads flood-meadow to the Meadows shopping centre in town, nothing twitchy but a pretty good spread of species for the short stretch of river:

10 Carrion Crow,
1 Magpie,
2 Grey Wagtail,
3 Sedge Warbler,
3 Whitethroat,
5 Blackcap,
3 Reed Bunting,
1 Common Tern,
1 Lesser Black-backed Gull,
1 Black-headed Gull,
8 Moorhen,
7 Mallard,
24 Feral Pigeon,
2 Collared Dove,
7 Woodpigeon,
4 Blackbird,
2 Blue Tit,
2 Great Tit,
2 Wren,
6 House Sparrow,
36 Starling,
4 Greenfinch,
2 House Martin,
2 Robin,
1 Dunnock

I'm sure I missed a lot, especially the Woodpigeons, Crows and Starlings but it was interesting to do. Not something I want to do every time as it requires a lot of concentration but probably is something I'll do as and when I feel the urge.

Edit: oh, and I finally managed to get a decent shot of a Blackcap! My first photo of a female too so was really pleased! Here's a linky:

http://www.birdforum.net/attachment.php?attachmentid=257984&d=1273155141

 

[palval147]

Good news about the House Martins, Fozzy. No sign of any here yet.
Great list too.
The female Blackcap is a super photo.

 

[Fozzybear]

Thanks Val, I was really jazzed to get a photo of a female and the Alder was a great background for her too. The House Martins threw me for a second, I had to really look closely as I didn't quite believe it was them to start with - superb to see them back again! Walking back past that spot with my shopping I didn't see them again but did spend some time watching the Grey Wagtail at the sluice and further along past the old mill I remember I saw some Swifts in the air - I didn't add them to the list at the time as my hands were full of bags.