Summer has passed.

The weather conditions had changed considerably a walk on the patch this morning with quite a strong northerly breeze blowing.
Two of the three Whinchats were still present in Kirkins( been here since last Sunday).
Also in the field was a flock of about forty Linnets and seventy Meadow Pipits.
A Yew tree at the top of the field held Blackbirds, Song Thrushes and Mistle Thrushes feeding on it's berries but no early winter thrushes, alas!
As expected summer migrants had mostly disappeared but there were still plenty of Chiffchaffs around and Swallows passing overhead in different directions. Two House Martins were also seen.
At the lake the the Buzzard family were being harried by the local crows. there was a large mixed flock containing Blue, Long-tailed, Great, Coal and best of all a Marsh Tit.This is only the second record this year and was very welcome. As well as the Tits there were also four Goldcrests,a Treecreeper and two Nuthatches.
The lake itself held eleven Mandarins,thirty Mallards,a dozen Moorhens and a single Coot.
The two young Great crested Grebes are still doing well but there is only one adult with them.
During a walk this afternoon  a Whitethroat was found in a blackberry patch in Haymans Hill.
With the nights drawing in I have resorted to walking down at the lake on my way to work in the semi darkness,which has produced a few Tawny Owls calling and lots of bats.
On the insect front there were still a few Migrant Hawkers around the lake and last weekend we had a Hummingbird Hawk Moth in the garden.

Mid September update

August passed with the last week being a family holiday to Corfu. We stayed in a lovely little village called Kassiopi, which is situated in the north East of the island. It wasn't exactly the best place form a birding perspective but I did manage to add a few species to my list.
All my birding was done in a little valley just outside the resort which I visited at first light. This produced a few different warblers with Wood Warblers seen every day. New species for me were Icterine Warbler, Orphean Warbler and on the last day a Ruppell's Warbler.
Others seen were the inevitable Sardinian Warblers plus Olive Tree Warbler, Eastern Olivaceous Warbler, Great Reed Warbler and my first Collared Flycatcher. There were always good numbers of Swallow and House Martins and Red Rumped Swallows but the only Swifts seen were Alpine which I found quite surprising. In the evenings a Scops Owl called being joined by a second bird in the middle of the week and eventually I got to see it. My first sighting of this species as I have only ever managed to just hear them.
Butterflies were quite numerous with plenty of Scarce Swallowtails and one common Swallowtail. The only butterflies I managed to photograph were a Southern Comma

Southern Comma

and a Fritillary which I don't know-if anyone could identify it I would be very grateful.

Any ideas anyone!

Back to the patch and and a walk on the sixth produced 50 species with a decent size mixed flock of Tits and Warblers and my first Autumn Meadow Pipit and what will I am sure will be my last Swift of the year.

Dropping in to the lake on my way home from work has produced some good flocks of House Martins with a couple of hundred on the eleventh. That morning, on the way to work there were 26 Canadas and a Greylag on the lake plus 15 Mandarins and two more Teal.

During yesterdays walk I found two Willow Warblers and a Reed Warbler still hanging around the lake with ten Chiffchaffs and a Blackcap. 

This morning I had to go to work but on a walk with Phyl late this afternoon I found three Whinchat(101) in the field behind Kirkins Cottages in Furnace Lane. This was especially pleasing as I didn't record the species last year. With limited time and the nights drawing in I think it is going to be a struggle to move the year total along but you have always got remain optimistic I suppose. 

Summer catch-up

Well the summer has nearly passed and it has been a struggle to do any amount birding with work and home commitments plus the added pressure of a course at college. Thankfully the two year course has finished so I hope to do more birding and and make more posts on the blog.
The year list has unsurprisingly been a bit of a struggle but had crept up to 100 on 14/08/14.
June went with the addition of 3 Crossbills(97) on the 21st.
During June the Kestrels in Shirrenden and Sprivers fledged with three young from each and three juvenile Grey Wagtails appeared on the stream below the lake.
Into July and on the 9th four Common Sandpipers were on the lake in the evening which is the first record for this month on the patch.The following day saw the first Sand Martin(98) of the year and the day after the first Common Tern(99).On the 27th the two Buzzards fledged and have been a constant feature around the paddock at Shirrenden since with their constant calling.In the afternoon of that day all the local Starlings were put up by what I was expecting to be a Sparrowhawk but turned out to be a Cuckoo going over the house.
August has slipped by with probably my last Swift of the year seen over the house on the 10th.
On the 14th my first 2 Sedge Warblers(100) of the year was seen at the lake with another there on the 17th.
On a walk this morning there were still good numbers of warblers about with Chiffchaff, Willow Warbler, Whitethroat and Blackcap seen plus a late brood of Reed Warblers had just fledged from a nest at the southern end of the lake.

Reed Warbler fledgeling

Three Spotted flycatchers were seen plus a rather nice Wheatear in the orchard.

Autumn Wheatear

A strange sighting was that of a Teal on the lake. This is the first summer sighting of this species for me.

Distant juvenile? Teal

May has passed and the patch list is the lowest for this time of year that I've had since I started recording.
I did have some good news when, on the 23rd, I found a Turtle Dove(95) and not one but two Nightingales(96) singing in suitable habitat whilst out checking the local Barn Owls for activity around the nest box.There seem to be fledglings all over the patch with the first Blackcaps found on the 26th.

Blackcap fledgling

Interestingly I found two Lesser Whitethroats singing in the same area yesterday evening, not a species that often stays around the patch to breed.The local Cuckoos seem to be hanging around the lake a lot so I'm hoping I may get a fledgling to photograph quite soon.

With little chance to take any pictures on the patch I've attached a few more pictures from Rhodes;-

Crested Lark

Lesser Kestrel

Red rumped Swallow

Mid-May update.

Just spent a week in Rhodes at Lindos. My birding time was done during my early morning walk around the resort. Although we had a little bit of rain it was a very relaxing week. I've attached some pictures taken during the week.

Female Blue Rock Thrush busy nest building

Lesser Kestrel

Black Eared Wheatear

The number of Swifts and Swallows around the area was pretty impressive with Common, Pallid and Alpine Swifts seen daily plus Barn and Red Rumped Swallows and Crag, House and a few Sand Martins. Ten raptor species were also seen plus a real bonus in the shape of a Thrush Nightingale I found early on the first morning. This was a first for me and I was well made up!!!

I was amazed by the number of crickets about at this time of year and I'll add some photos of some of these  plus a bit more of the holiday week in the coming posts.

Back to the patch and Friday 16th turned up the first Spotted Flycatcher(93) near lake cottage. Sunday a Common Sandpiper(94) was resting in one of the fishing swims.

Common Sandpiper

The first Damsels and a Downy Emerald dragonfly were also seen at the weekend.

Bank holiday got off to a good start with my first Swift(90)over the house as I left for my walk. The Willow Warbler was still singing at the top of Kirkins and as Iwalked down the track I heard the unmistakable song of a Lesser Whitethroat(91)as it moved through the scrub. A pair of Lapwings were displaying over the field and two skylarks were trying to out do each other.
Down at the lake, yesterdays Garganey had disappeared but there were three Mandarin drakes.

Another Garganey shot.

The afternoon in the garden was very eventfull with a pair of Hobby(92) seen overhead as well as two Buzzards and a Peregrine which flew low over the house before reappearing a short while later with what looked like a young Starling in its talons.Great stuff! Later in the day 5 Swifts were feeding over the house.

Whitethroat singing down by the lake.

April Update and beyond.

The first Reed Warbler(84) arrived at the lake on 22nd followed the next day by four House Martins(85).
Unfortunately I missed out on a Common Tern on the 25th which Glyn had through in the afternoon.
I managed a good walk around the patch on 27th  adding Garden Warbler(86) and a Yellow Wagtail(87) which headed over north east. I had a great few hours on the patch and was delighted with the two additions plus the total of 51 birds seen and was was well cuffed to find two Mistle Thrush families in the horse paddock behind the pumping station. I did miss out on two Mute Swans that landed on the lake and stayed around for only an hour(seen by Andy) on the 29th.
Into May and a small bird found fliitting around a row of apple trees turned out to be my first Marsh Tit(88) of 2014.
Today turned up another Willow Warbler singing in the top scrub in Kirkins.

Willow Warbler

This afternoon as Phyllis and I were out for a stroll which took us round the lake three ducks flew in and landed on the water. These turned out to be Garganey(89) FANTASTIC!! I could hardly contain myself. They seemed to be very skittish so I contented myself with watching them and photographing them from distance not wanting to spook them.

Garganey(2 drakes and a duck)

A brilliant end to the weekend.