Hello,
Lets start with New Years Eve, on this day I attended a ringing session at Sunderland Wood on the Kelmarsh Estate which provided 108 birds of 14 species, 50 new and 58 retrap. The highlights being 12 Coal Tit, 4 Marsh Tit, 15 Long Tailed Tit, 2 Treecreepers, a Goldcrest, 3 Nuthatches, a Redwing, 3 Blackbirds, 2 Great Spotted Woodpecker and 8 Chaffinches. Birds in the wood included six Woodcock, Siskin, Redpoll and a Willow Tit.
New Years Day was spent at the Wilderness, Kelmarsh Hall at a ringing session which caught only a small number of bird for this site. This included 7 Blackbirds, 3 Goldfinches, 3 Chaffinches and 3 Great Spotted Woodpecker. Other birds seen in this orchard were a fly over male Peregrine, a GreyWagtail and some Siskins.
The next day was spent doing a short day count on the grid reference SP55 just west of Daventry. We started at Fawsley ca 40 Siskins, 3 Lesser Redpolls, a male Brambling, a couple of Tawny Owls, 2 Water Rails and 2 Kingfishers. Woodland birds included Treecreepers, Nuthatch, Marsh Tit, 5 Ravens and gulls were noted of four species.
Later scanning a field used as cover crop provided excellent views of many types of finch and bunting, these included Linnet, Lesser Redpoll, Goldfinch, Greenfinch, Brambling, Yellowhammer, Reed Bunting and a smart Corn Bunting.
A return to Fawsley park showed that gull flock seen earlier in the day had departed but a single adult Little Gull remained before itself leaving too.
Yesterday was spent doing the last short day count in the rain, this one took place at SP54. We recorded 65 species in the 8 hours given, the Edgcote area produced the majority of the species including two Ravens, a male Peregrine, 80-90 Siskins, ca50 Redpoll with one palish type, a female Brambling, a Kingfisher and 11-12 Snipe. Other birds of interest noted in our square were a Chiffchaff on the road down to Farthinghoe LNR, a Grey Wagtail at Middleton Chenley and large flock of Golden Plovers at around 200 were noted in a field near Chacombe.
Regards,
Jacob
