Giant wingspans.

Date: 23/08/2018

Location: Newton St Loe + Chew Valley

Weather: Mostly overcast and grey

Species Highlights: 
Buzzard, Roe Deer, Hobby, Spotted Redshank,Peregrine, Greenshank.
Observation: 
First off anyone Id Feather ? Little Owl ?

Normal Thursday route our through Bath mill and as usual they are cutting the grass! 

So all very quiet through the site although a single Common blue butterfly seen on sunnybank. 

Up on to fields and 4 Buzzards seen together calling and tumbling over fields.

Lots of Speckled wood butterflies along byways to seven acre but little else bird wise

as i rejoined byway the Buzzards we’re still above and me letting me get a few pictures.

Into village and very few Barn Swallow and Martin’s, date last year they left was
: Barn Swallow=24/09/2017
House Martins =27/08/2017 ( so maybe departed ?

All of interest was a Holly bush with 100s of wasps and hoverflies on.

Down through church yard and more grass cutting going on! 

Send a Cow woodland a highlight as a family of Long tailed tits.

Plus Coal tits & Treecreeper

Willow and Chiffchaff we making there way through.

No fishermen on bottom lake but just the single female Mute and few Mallard,

top lake and it looks like at last they are starting to repair dam. So hope it refills to its normal level. 

While sat 2 Ravens croaked past.

Stockdove calling with Goldcrest in surrounding trees, started chatting to a lady explaining there not

JUST Ravens and a Roe deer wandered down to feed on grass lake side.

Amazing to see so close and the reason I try to explain to dog walkers about leads, deaf ears!

The nice lady walked on and the dear carried on feeding.

Very quiet on up through top woodland but a few dragons around mainly Common Darter 

Brown hawker and a few Migrant hawkers by the small ponds,sports fields.

This little Wren popped up and posed unusually.

Was going return via college but could see lots of gulls on fields below home farm so walked up that

way mainly lesser black backed with a few Herring gulls, but you never know.

Walked back along lanes toward Newton st loe with a male and female Kestrel sat on tree boxes, 

unfortunately I saw them just as car sped past making them both take to the air. 

Little else was seen but just before home another kestrel hunting over lower field.

The Comma Butterfly, you can see why its called a Comma.

At home our resident Collard Dove was waiting.

A nice walk ending on 39 species.

22/08/2018 I went to Chew Valley Lake and Blagdon a great day was had, 

from Morton hide had a Greenshank.

Hobby always great to see.

Then a Marsh harrier, shame light was so bad but so close. Also a peregrine flew over hide.

After a couple of hours headed off to Blagdon Lake to see if i could catch up with the 

Spotted Redshank, 

plenty of birds around and with some help found the Spotted Redshanks just.

You'll need to squint!

Returned to Chew and popped into Villace hide 

always been a good spot for Hobby, this family of Little Grebe floated by.

Then the Hobby made a few passes, light was getting worse so i'll try again after the weekend.

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Patch Gold today

Date: 23/11/2017

Location: Newton St Loe

Weather: Some Blue, some rain and wind

Species Highlights: 
Lapwing, Greenfinch.
Observation: 
Weather been grey and wet recently but this morning it started blue and sunny so headed out around patch. I'm very glad i did! Along brook which was very high, alarm going off at bridge. goldcrest in trees but nothing out of the ordinary here. On up to fields Skylark, Linnet and Meadow Pipits but not in big numbers. 
As i looked towards Seven acre woods i thought i saw a Wood pigeon flock, better check i thought as quite distant and to my amazement it was Lapwing!!! 

I counted 24 Birds flying right over the top of Seven Acre, Excellent, Patch Gold as they say.

The last time we had Lapwing was 2010, taken with my first camera D3000 85mm lens.
That was one bird so 24 a record for sure and takes our Patch total this year to 84 species, we've beaten last year by 2 species and still 38 days to go !!

Wood pigeon in large numbers with at least 70+ in this one tree.

Despite the lovely sunshine and the still smiling face from the lapwings, species were quite low on this walk, i was expecting to see more Redwing, Fieldfare and Mistle Thrushes but as of yet on walk was missing these but 4 Roe deer 2 in church fields + 1 back on dog track.

Plus this cracking little male in send a cow Woodland.

Lakes very quite but good news Billy the male Mute on lower lake is back! not sure where he went but he's back and took food from me. 3 Mute still on top with no sign today of the Water Rail.
A few Redwing in normal Yew trees and Mistle thrush now, 2 Greenfinch plus a couple of Chaffinches.

Out back along rear drive 25+ of each corvid feeding in fields.

At end of drive 6/7 Greenfinch in trees, similar place to last week.

Blue skies looking splendid.

Didn't mention but Coal tits and Goldcrest in good numbers with at least 6 and 7 birds seen along walk. West of England falconry had about 5 Harris Hawks and this other Raptor, not sure what it is.

No Stonechat today as farmer seems to be pulling hedgerow where i normally see them!! No ideal why, if i see him i'll ask . Ended the day on 38 species, but still smiling from the Lapwings.

 Just got home and it poured down, Perfect.

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Valentine's Day Patch Wander...

Date: 14th February 2016 - Early Afternoon

Location: Newton Park Lake Circular

Weather: Blue Sky + Sunny, Patchy Cloud - Cold Wind

Other Species: 1 Greenfinch, Goldfinch, 2 Green Woodpecker, 40+ Redwing, 7+ Goldcrest, 6+ Long-Tailed Tit, House Sparrow, 2 Grey Heron, 1 Treecreeper, 1 Kingfisher, 28 Teal, 9 Goosander, 1 Raven, 1 Grey Wagtail, 1 Little Grebe, 3 Buzzard, 3 Pied Wagtail, 1 Fieldfare, 1 Greater Spotted Woodpecker, 4 Linnet, 1 Coal Tit - Of Note - 40 Species Total

Observation: Headed out through Bath Mill as normal, pretty quiet through here. On to the Dog Walk, quite a few fallen trees since the bad spells of weather, there were a small flock of Redwing high in the trees. Not much else, until the Village, where the resident Goldcrest was showing well for us in the sunshine at 'The Cattery'.

A distant Green Woodpecker was heard calling just as we were moving on. At the Lake, we checked the Alders and spotted a cute little Treecreeper, calling away!

Mid-way between the Lakes, the Grey Wagtail was still bobbing on the waterfall catching some flies, after a quick preen, he posed nicely for us!

Also a very pretty blonde Mallard, we think it could be a Mallard X Spot-Billed Duck. Been present for about 2 weeks now.

On to 'Top Lake' where the Goosanders are still present, back up to 9 today (3 Male + 6 Female)  got some lovely shots of them in the sunshine!

Also of note on the 'Top Lake' were 1 Little Grebe, 2 Grey Heron and 28 Teal (a good count of Teal!). 
Little Grebe making a dash for it !

Lots of flowers in full bloom now and look lovely in the sun.

As we come up to the Castle on the grounds of Bath Spa University, a beautiful Hare ran in front of us and into cover, only have 8 previous records so always nice to see!

We walked back along College Drive which was nice and quiet, when we seen 2 Roe Deer running down the hill towards us. They had been spooked from 12 O'Clock and ran across the road in front of us before finding cover in the nearby trees. As the Roe Deer were running around, they also spooked 4 Linnets which we couldn't re-locate.

Back at 'Horse Fields', no sign of the recent Yellowhammers or Stonechats today but a bit further along, the field was full of Redwing, Pied Wagtail and a single Fieldfare approx 40+

The walk was coming to a end, last sightings included another Green Woodpecker and lastly a Greater Spotted Woodpecker back at Bath Mill.

Thanks For Reading !

Raining - Feeder Watch & Small Patch Walk

Date: 25/08/2015
Location: Home then small patch walk to Newton St Loe

 Weather: Raining most of day but brightened up evening
Other Species:

Feeders: Bullfinch, Greenfinch, Coal Tit, Chaffinch, Great Tit, Blue Tit, Collared Dove, Wood Pigeon + Lesser Black Backed Gull, Buzzard, 2 Swift, Barn Swallow, House Martin - Over Head

NSL: Long  Tailed Tits, Kingfisher, Buzzard, Mistle Thrush, Blackbird, Magpie, Wood Pigeon, Dunnock, Robin, Barn Swallow, House Martin, House Sparrow, Crow, Goldfinch, Collared Dove + 1 Roe Deer

Observation: Wanted to walk but raining all day so stayed at window watching feeders, plenty of birds visiting Greenfinch and Bullfinch families a highlight! 4 Greenfinch 3 Bullfinch.

 This one Juvenile

 Think this one must be Dad, old and haggered !

 

10/20 Goldfinch seem to be around most of day.

 OOO  OOO Collared Dove on black !

Not so common Blue Tits don't seem to get as many as last year :(

Noticed this Female Chaffinch poor thing, 

First spotted her August 2nd .

Last year had a couple of other chaffinch's with foot rot.

 Female and Male just Bullfinches very jumpy !

As usual Goldfinches Squabling !

Then the sun came out so after tea headed out through campsite, I mean Bath Mill all finished now and looks good.

On Brook the Kingfisher darted past me and disappeared. While watching a Mistle Thrush was collecting worms almost at my feet I lifted the camera up and gone !!

Walking up byway saw this Roe Deer .

At Village around 50 Barn Swallows a few House Martin and ! 5 House Sparrows a short but  pleasant walk on leaving Bath Mill the bank at its exit in full bloom all planted by Bath Mill.

 Good Job !

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