15th December 2014

It’s a mild dry autumn/winter day, at 8am this morning is was 3C, no frost last night.

Between noon and 1pm today we made the following observations, the main occupants of the bird table were 2 Dunnock, a Blue Tit, and a bossy Robin who kept chasing the Dunnock and Blue Tit away. There have been Magpies, Jackdaws, a Crow, Moorhens, a couple of pigeon, a Gull. The Kestrel swooped by, over the far side of the field was a Mistle Thrush, and a couple of Sparrows. Yesterday and today we have also seen a pair of Blackbirds, yesterday they were together, and this morning, but during the hour I was watching there was only the male, they have been very noisy! We also saw something about the size of a small dove, slim looking with reddy brown chest, but it hopped into the Christmas tree and then flew off before we could get a closer look, it was being chased, or maybe the other birds were just interested in it, by Dunnocks and a Robin. I also got a glimpse of something small that hopped behind the forsythia and over the wall, again, too quick to get a proper look.

There was also a Hare over along the hedgerow.

Something new

Is it a bird? is it a plane …..

Well, it’s definitely a bird! That’s for sure!

It landed on the bird table, and at first glance it looked like a Sparrow, but it looked bigger and fatter, then a Sparrow landed next to it, much smaller! So what is this bigger bird? now on the floor below the bird table.

Through the bins, it’s back was ‘sparrow’ like, browns, it’s underneath was pale, creamy, with dark spots/streaks running almost in lines down it’s chest, it looks quite fluffed up. It’s beak is cream and ‘grain eater’ type, I want to say it’s big, but that might be the wrong thing to say, it’s finch like, and looks big in proportion to it’s head. It’s feet and legs were yellowy orange. It has a much longer tail than the Sparrow.

I can hear something now quite loud, cheeps and then a bit of a whirrrr, a series of high cheeps one after another like a buzz, or alarm. I can hear it through the double glazing!

Since I have been sat here I have also seen Dunnock, Great and Blue Tit, Robins, Jackdaws in the field, and Kestrel in the wire. I can also see 1 male and 2 female Pheasants in the field. There are 3 Magpie also in the field and a couple of Pigeons on the wires.

I think that was it flying off, slightly swooping and legs seen below.

It’s now 3pm, on Friday 14th November 2014, calm, bright & sunny autumnal day (but heavy rain and windy first thing this morning)

(Update – I think it may have been a Corn Bunting)

10th November 2014

It’s 3.40pm, and starting to get dark now. I have been sat here working and looking out of the window on and off watching the birds.

Today has been fairly mediocre, not bright, but not particularly dull, it rained early this morning and the puddles ave remained all day, we have had a lot of rain in the past few days, and the fields are starting to get quite sodden.

We have seen a couple of male Pheasants, Blue Tits and Great Tits, the Wren was, once again, in it’s usual place, hopping around in the wood pile by the gate. I’ve only seen 1 Robin today, I am not sure how many Robins we have, or how similar they all look, but there is definitely one with a triangle of grey on his breast, he has been the one I have seen today, yesterday it was one whose Red breast went all the way down his front and i couldn’t see any other colour below, maybe this is just typical and it isn’t just the one I see! I have also seen a Sparrow on the bird table.

Their have been 2 or 3 Magpies at a time on the field, a Kestrel up on the power cable (his usual look out spot), and many many Jackdaws flying North-South and South-North, too and fro. A flock of another bird travelled South a short time ago, smaller than Jackdaws, bigger than Starlings, about the size of Wood Pigeons, but I just wasn’t quick enough to see them properly, and particularity difficult as black shadows against the starting to dull sky.

This morning we saw 3 Ducks flying.