Albino Squirrel

Ryarsh Church: Something white sat at the edge of the wood. Unsure as to what it could be, I kept an eye on it and eventually its movement gave it away. Lovely to see a grey squirrel looking so beautiful and graceful. It was being chase around an ancient oak by a normal coloured individual and the two of them made for quite a sight on the leafless tree.

Murmuration

I am frequently observing an unusual murmuration in the early evening. The number of birds is not great, somewhere between sixty and one hundred. It starts with a smaller group but new arrivals quickly join in. The flight patterns simulate what larger groups attain with sudden changes of direction and altitude, BUT, these birds are not starlings: they are JACKDAWS.
They display like this over the field where are have been getting a last minute feed, they do not roost here but in local woods.

Partridges

Went for a late afternoon walk yesterday and was surprised to see up to thirty partridges rising from a field of rape. They were clearly about to settle to a communal roost. I only saw them in flight but assume them to be the red-legged variety and I can only hope some of them survive the shooting season to breed come the spring. Having previously only seen the group of five that habitually forage on the field in front of the house, I had not expected there to be more.
Lots of fieldfares and redwings feeding on the haws in the hedgerow behind the house.

Field of birds

With newly emerging green shoots of wheat, the field in front of the house is proving to be very attractive to the local birds. I regularly see large flocks (up to sixty individuals) of species such as, jackdaw, crow, feral pigeons. There are also, smaller flocks of skylarks and linnets(thirty birds); red legged partridge, pheasant, fieldfare and meadow pipit. It is quite astonishing that the should be such a large and varied source of food in just one field.
Redwings have now joined the fieldfares as our usual winter migrants.

Winter Migrants

Yesterday I heard the first distinctive call of over-flying fieldfares. This morning, some were feeding on the hawthorn berries in the hedgerow.
A grey wagtail feeding on insects round a large puddle at Sutton Valence.

Singing Skylarks

A flock of around thirty skylarks has descended upon the stubble fields in front of the house. With this unseasonably warm weather, they have been induced to sing, which is a very welcome addition to the sound scape here.
Along with the pheasants, it appears that quite a few partridge have recently been released on the estate and I have seen at least three separate coveys over the last few days.

Goshawk

A small flock of birds flew noiselessly overhead. Not an unusual occurrence, but then I noticed that one of the flock was quite different from the rest. It soon became clear that what I was watching was a flock of about eight jackdaws (strange for them to be silent) surrounding a bird of prey. Too big to be a sparrow hawk it could only have been a goshawk.

Heard a skylark briefly giving song this morning from the mist.

Hobby

The long hot summer has now become a very mild autumn and a consequence of this appears to be the late migration of some of our summer visitors. I have see several warblers (chiffchaff or willow warbler) over the last week, but most unusually, I saw a hobby over the fields.
I imagine that the hobbies had a very successful breeding season as there were so many dragon flies around this year, but I would not expect to see one in mid October.
The linnets have just returned to the stubble fields they occupied throughout last winter. At the moment the flock amounts to about thirty individuals, but I would expect that number to rise over the coming weeks. There are still some skylarks on the fields, though no song.

Belek, Turkey

Th most common bird to be seen by far has been the spectacled bulbul which can be seen and heard all around the hotel grounds. The only other birds to be seen around the hotel are sparrows and hooded crows. Down by the beach on a strip of turf were three hoopoes, very obliging allowing me to get quite lose to them.
Otherwise, there are dabchick of some sort on the ponds along with moorhen with very red skin areas on the head. Also, some unidentifiable flycatchers and woodpeckers.
A group of about thirty swallows were to be seen flying south clearly on migration.

The lovely little red squirrels seem to be doing well.

Albino Crow

A pure white (with pink eyes) crow is resident on the banks of the River Wye at Symonds Yat West. It is quite tame and can easily be viewed without binoculars. Quite a sight!

Hen Harrier

Saw my first hen harrier yesterday. Flying low over the heathland of the Black Mountains in Wales. A greyish white bird (male) with black wing tips flying low quartering the ground probably trying to flush one of the many meadow pipits still around.
Some skylarks still on the tops, also saw a snipe, lots of ravens, and a family of kestrels.

Glen Affric

Staying in a house at the end of Glen Affric in the Highlands. The birds on the feeder in the garden make for interesting viewing, with the majority being siskins. The commonest bird song to be heard is that of the willow warbler, whilst a pair of spotted flycatchers have three youngsters in a nest amongst the roses climbing up the end wall.

Pied wagtails are very abundant hereabouts, whilst hooded crows inhabit the fields. A pair of hares come down from the mountain each evening to feed on the valley bottom pasture lands.

A walk through the glen revealed common sandpipers and dippers on the river whilst a cock redpoll resplendent in scarlet head and breast made an impressive spectacle.

A small pool beside the river was full of tadpoles whilst a small newt was also in evidence. Perhaps it is not surprising that they are around so late in the season as fresh snow can be seen on the tops.

Red squirrels and pine martens have so far proven to be too elusive.

Swifts at last!

Much later than their usual date of arrival, I saw four swifts flying around the village church today. They are so late that I had come to the sad conclusion that they would not be returning this year. Swallows have been here for some time and not far away I have seen numerous house martins.
There do appear to be fewer hedgerow birds around such as yellow hammers and whitethroats. Otherwise, there has been plenty of evidence of breeding birds and yesterday I saw a group of young goldfinches in a low tree.

Nesting Pheasant

A pheasant has chosen our front driveway to lay her clutch of eggs (eight so far). The driveway was plain chippings until I built a couple of raised beds from ex rail sleepers. Planted with lavender along the front edge, one of these planters is now home to the pheasant. I have yet to see her enter the nest so am not sure of the direction of approach but she is only a few yards from the lane and even less distant from the house.

Wild Boar sighting

For the first time ever, today I saw a wild boar in the wild. Having seen their tracks and the shoveling of earth, I knew they were in the area but never expected to see one in broad daylight. My dog had been sniffing around a bramble patch at the edge of the field and we had moved on about twenty yards. Then suddenly, from behind us a huge boar bolted and sped across the field with my dog in hot pursuit. Fortunately, the dog is accustomed to chasing deer for a short distance and then backing off as he did with the boar.

First Swallows

Saw five swallows on the telephone wires this morning. It was a cold misty morning and so not the best of welcomes for these birds.
The fieldfares and redwings have now departed and the hedgerows are filling with blackcaps. Greenfinches are displaying their territorial flights, whilst the linnets continue to flock. I saw a starling carrying food to nestlings this morning.

Wheatear

A passing migrant, the wheatear that was in the hedgerow adjoining the wheat fields would have been feeding up before heading north or west to its moorland haunts. It was not left in peace however, as, every time it took to the air, a cock yellow hammer harassed it. I wonder if that was due to the wheatear's passing resemblance to a shrike which the bunting would perceive as a threat.

Nearby a pair of kestrels were mating on the electrical cables. A hen blackbird was seen carrying worms to its young. Spring is here, even though the weather remains cold and wet.

Chiffchaff

Heard a chiffchaff singing yesterday which probably means that the blackcap is also a spring migrant!

Blackcap

A cock blackcap has been around the garden for the last two days. It has even been taking sunflower kernels from the feeders, which is not a behaviour I expected to observe. Today I heard it singing which then poses the question: Is this a winter visitor from farther north or is it an early spring migrant?

Fogspawn in the fish pond and newtlets in the wildlife pond!

More Snow

A second arctic blast hit the area last week and once again many of the birds disappeared from the scene. This time it took several days of warm weather before the skylarks, linnets and yellow hammers returned. Still a mystery as to where they go during the inclement weather.
There is a large flock of redwings roosting in nearby woods (tends to vary as to which they select). In the morning you can hear their mass singing which caused quite some consternation when first heard.

Primroses have sprung up everywhere and violets are appearing on sunny embankments.

Breeding Birds

Whilst the skylarks are clearly now establishing their breeding territories along with the chaffinches and the song thrushes, the only birds I have seen actively nest building are the magpies, which have been active in their prolonged nest building exercise for some weeks, and today I also saw a hen blackbird collecting materials. No doubt, further afield, there will be rooks and herons on nests, but these are the only birds seen actively nest building in this area.

Returning Birds

During the arctic conditions experienced last week with snow covering the ground, many of the birds deserted us for places unknown. What was remarkable was that their return was as quick as the thaw. No sooner had most of the snow disappeared than the skylarks returned and almost immediately began singing. Similarly the flock of linnets was back along with pairs of yellow hammers.
there do appear to be fewer song thrushes singing and they, it seems were particularly hard hit. I did attempt to rescue one cold and hungry individual but sadly it only lasted half an hour in a heated room.

Merlin

Walking along the North Downs, I raised my binoculars to identify a fast flying bird. Turned out to be a starling. As I lowered my bins, my eye was drawn to a small bird giving chase. It was clearly a Merlin. The only other possibility would be a hobby and it too early in the year for that to have been the case and a starling would probably have been too large a prey item. The Merlin continued to fly westwards and I suspect it is migrating back to the western hills where it still breeds. Having said that, the flock of linnets is still around and may tempt the merlin to stay around.

Arctic Conditions

Unusually for this time of year, or for any time for that matter, we have experienced a week of arctic conditions with snow, ice, freezing rain and bitter easterly winds. The birds that appear to have suffered the most have been the thrushes. Song thrushes in particular look to be in a very weakened state. I observed one taking the dried up berries off my olive trees yesterday. It is unlikely that they would have offered much sustenance. Redwings and fieldfares have been coming into the garden looking for food.
The flock of linnets has vanished from the fields has have the skylarks. The questions is: where have they gone to?

Goldfinches and greenfinches are still flocking to the feeders in the garden along with the usual variety if tits.

Wild Boar

Have just returned form the Forest of Dean, a well known haunt of the wild boar. Many of the verges are turned up by the foraging boar so evidence of their presence is clear to see. This morning I took the dog for a walk across some fields close to my home in Kent. The nearest reports of wild boar are from several miles away so, when I came across some hoofed tracks I initially assumed them to be of deer. Even then, as I had only ever seen a single muntjac in this area and these were clearly of a larger creature, I began to wonder whether what I was actually seeing were merely sheep tracks. However, there were no sign of any sheep droppings which I would certainly expect to see. Crossing another field I then saw clear evidence of he foraging of wild boar.
These fields lie between two motorways, mostly owned by the National Trust, yet are rarely visited. The last time I was there was some months ago and so the boar must have moved in since then.

Birds singing

The weather has been very inconsistent, but the raised temperatures appear to have led to a sudden increase in the amount of bird song. Greenfinches, yellow hammers, and a full chaffinch song and even the skylarks are now singing to establish territories. These are complements to the robins, wrens, hedge accentors, and thrushes who also join in the dawn chorus.

The other day, a tree in a neighbour's garden was full of twittering birds. On closer inspection they revealed themselves as fifty or more linnets with about twelve goldfinches. This somewhat strange behavior was explained when I saw a sparrow hawk gliding above the field where the linnets normally are to be found feeding.

Goldfinches feeding on moss or lichen?

There has regularly been twelve or more goldfinches at my feeders. This morning the number increased to twenty five and many of them spent much of their time on the roof of my neighbour's garage. The tiles on this roof are largely covered in what is either moss or lichen and these birds spent much of their time apparently eating the lichen. This is not the first time that I have witnessed this. If this is moss, there may be seeding heads that the birds are eating. Owing to the position of the roof it is difficult for me to get close enough to definitely ascertain what the plant is.

Returning Birds

A spell of relatively mild weather brought back some birds not seen for several months. Most noticeable has been the skylarks which are occupying the lower fields and even engaging in snatches of song. A pair of yellow hammers spent a few days back along the hedgerow where a pair nested last summer. The flock of linnets, although much reduced, is once again feeding on the winter wheat fields.
Sounds of early spring continue to increase in range, with chaffinches joining the song thrushes and hedge sparrows. The chaffinch song is not the full song to be heard in a month or two's time, but it is a sure sign that spring is on the way.

Last night's snow must have come as quite a shock to some of these birds, particularly the blue tits that have been displaying around a nest box and the early building of a nest by magpies. Goldfinches and green finches descended upon my feeders in good numbers today.

Lisbon

A brief winter break to Lisbon revealed some interesting bird observations. In fact what intrigued me the most was the lack of birds in the city. Given the mild weather and the green spaces that exist, I would have expected to see more. The most interesting birds, seen in the castle grounds and down by the river were the over-wintering chiffchaffs.  They spent much of their time feeding on the grassy banks of the castle foundations, so were not acting in a manner typical of the birds we see in our summer woodlands. They were very confiding, some approaching within just a few yards without apparent concern.
Besides the feral pigeons and gulls, there was a single wagtail (probably white), and a single cormorant. Otherwise, heard but not seen were some feral parakeets.

Kestrel winter hunting strategy

I see at least one |kestrel most days. What I have noticed is that there hunting strategy is very different in winter from their usual approach. I have not seen one of the birds 'hovering for months. What they tend to do is hunt from a static position, a tree, telegraph pole or even a low post. No doubt this is a way of conserving energy when there is not so much prey around and when the cold will be sapping their strength. They also fly swiftly and quite close to the ground, particularly s dusk approaches rather more akin to the hunting behavior of the sparrow hawk.

On the feeding station in the garden, there were four greenfinches, four redpolls and six goldfinches.

Early sounds of Spring

Over the last few days, the song thrushes have begun to sing. In addition, today I heard a woodpecker drumming for the first time this year.

Theer has been a mixture of relatively mild and cold days, some early flowers are out and sme summer garden flowers have survived the winter.

Yesterday at Wedgewood I saw a woodcock.

Magpie Roost

Each evening in the field behind the house, a congregation of magpies come together. I have counted as many as twenty five individual birds. As darkness falls, they fly into the bordering hawthorn hedge to spend the night. In the morning they fly down to the field prior to dispersing for the day.

Up to twelve goldfinches regularly feed on the shelled sunflowers in my feeders and there have been numerous tits joining them. Occasionally, they are scattered by the onrush of a sparrow hawk.