So here goes. Wednesday was sunny with a light SW2. Lots of bird song outside the back door first thing this morning including Lesser Whitethroat ( I still haven't seen it but it is No 78 for the month), Whitethroat, Willow Warbler and Chiffchaff. 2 pairs of Grey Partridges were flushed by a dog over the far back field and a female Great spotted Woodpecker has found our peanuts along with 5 Goldfinches.
After work, we walked into the Pond Field where 2 Jays (79) lifted off an open patch of meadow, shocking me into Hoopoe mode before common sense prevailed!
Not far along into the wood I was very pleased to find 5 spikes of Bird's Nest Orchid beside the path. Only my second ever ones after twitching some last year at Calally. A great find and apparently new to the 10km square ( thanks for the info Nigel).
The day was rounded off nicely when I took Bunty for a final short stroll at 11.30pm and a Barn owl (80) floated over our village green and off over the fields. I'll get that from the kitchen window one of these evenings I'm sure. I lifted a large Toad from the road to safety too, not that there's much traffic here at this time.
Today. Fine, cool mod SW6, sun and cloud.
The Lesser Whitethroat was singing near the garden again this morning but not close enough to see. A Lesser black backed Gull flew over NW and on to the garden list.
This evening I went to photograph the Bird's Nest Orchids and found 8+ spikes though some were tiny and none were in full flower yet.
Some strange 'creaking' in the woods nearby had me thinking and it will need checked out one evening at dusk before I say any more...
So the patch list for May is already on 80 and one or two more still to come...
Oh, and here is a patch map. Takes up about just over 1.5 km squares.
8 comments:
I'm still chasing a LW round the hedges here too. Interested that you haven't used the 'natural' boundary of the burn to the south and therefore included the prime autumn migrant habitat that exists there. Didn't Bryan Galloway once have a mega warbler there (Bonelli's ?)
You can't have it all Alan. It would be just too big to cover naturally, though I'm not saying I won't drift a bit. I had YBW in those bushes you are on about too...The area is lifting with migrant spots. Too much to watch!
Early next week is looking tasty with strengthning Easterly airflow from Monday on.
Would LEO be a patch tick for you?
Jon
The "creaking gate" call. Well we all know what that indicates. That`d be a fine patch tick.
Your patch is just about the same size as mine Stewart. I reckon you'll get a large list over the years.
Now you know I like a tight patch (fnar fnarr), but I would be soo tempted to include Cullernose Point and Howick Burn Mouth. But I know what you mean, it would be too much to work, my 1km square at druridge is too much to get around easily, I remember the patch competition days, how did Mike and Tom cover their mega-patches? Tom found a 'new pond' on his patch in July!
BB - Yes, on the new patch. Just about every thing is!
Dean - I'll update if theres any success...
Warren - Yes I tried to keep it manageable, its easy to get carried away then have an area far too big to watch.
Iain / Alan - Yes thats the point. I could easily have done Craster to Boulmer but it would be impossible to do comfortably. 90% of my records would be within the area I have chosen anyway. I liked the Druridge theory too, everyone should try a no more than 2km sq patch. I'll just have to have 'excursions' if the weather looks good...
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