In, Around and Above the Stew Ponds.

It has been many months since I posted any information about the bird life on my local patch so here are some images of a few of the 50 or so species I have seen so far this year frequenting the Stew Pond and surrounding area.

 Grey Herons are daily visitors, patiently waiting for a tasty meal to swim within their reach.

Cormorants turn up fairly regularly to fish the Great Pond often spending a lot of time sitting around doing nothing!

I have recorded Tufted Ducks annually over the last ten years. Evidence of breeding over that period has been spasmodic and the youngsters rarely survive due to predation ... there are some extremely large fish in the pond!

Again the Mandarin Duck has been an annual breeding species with sighting from January through to August. Until two years ago it was not uncommon to record up to 15 males courting just one or two females through January into March but I believe increased  disturbance from dog walkers has affected this and other species greatly in the last two years. This year I only saw one male on 5 April.

Egyptian Goose is a very infrequent visitor but a pair turned up on the island on 5 April. Unfortunately the pond plays host to quite a few pairs of breeding Canada Geese who are extremely territorial so other geese species don't tend to hang around for long like pairs of Greylag Geese who dropped in briefly between the 8th and 15th May.

 Common Buzzard nests locally so it is not unusual to see at least one or two flying around.

A selection of migrant warblers can be found in the surrounding area including good numbers of Chiffchaff. Others include Blackcap, Common Whitethroat, Garden Warbler and I have recorded Willow Warbler on the common for the last 6 years during April into early May but they don't seem to stay. Just one male seen and heard singing close to the Stew Pond on 1 May this year.

The Jay is not the most common corvid locally but certainly the most colourful. Typically very wary of humans this individual was very confiding ... for a few minutes.

Linking to:

Saturday's Critters

All Fenced In.

When I visited my local birding patch early this week this was the scene that greeted me. The posts have been erected and electric tape strung between them to act as a barrier for the cattle that will shortly arrive as part of the annual land management scheme. 

Unfortunately this means that my previously 'free' access is now restricted to the static gateways and 'squeeze' openings unless I grow some longer legs! 

This season they have extended the fenced area to include a small part of the woodland boundary presumably so the cattle will trample and grub out some of the unwanted undergrowth.

Not very much has changed in the way of bird life except I monitored a few more Common Whitethroats flitting in and out of the dense scrub and logged my first patch sighting for this year of a Garden Warbler.

With the increase in greenery this migrant 'LBJ' was difficult to lock onto as it moved around in-between bouts of singing and feeding. 

I often hear the 'yaffle' of a Green Woodpecker but they typically fly off as soon as they detect an intruder getting too close. Fortunately I managed a quick shot before this individual (below) moved into hiding behind the tree trunk.

In the past few weeks this gate, where I often watch the large gatherings of winter thrushes in the paddocks of one of the local riding stables,  has gained some additional woodwork presumably to deter unwanted guests.

The stables also use a system of tape fencing to cordon off separate sections for the horses and one of the taller posts was being used by a Mistle Thrush.

The gate above is where I listen to Skylarks singing and also provides an excellent viewpoint over Rushett Farm to look out for soaring Common Buzzards and the occasional fly by of a Red Kite. This week the young cereal crop was being sprayed and not too far away I spotted my first Speckled Wood and was also pleased to see that the Lapwings (possibly 3 or 4 pairs) are still defending their nesting territories from the large population of resident corvids.

Linking to:
Good Fences
I'D-Rather-B-Birdin'

Castle Hill LNR.

Just a 20 minute walk from home is Castle Hill LNR. Castle Hill has been designated as an Ancient Monument and is thought to be the site of a medieval moated farmstead dating from the 13th century known as Brettgrave. The area is now dominated by mature deciduous woodland but over the past few years active management by coppicing is helping to keep the under-story open thereby encouraging more wildlife.

At this time of year, apart from the typical woodland bird life, the main attraction is the swathes of our native Bluebells (Hyacinthoides non-scripta) competing with a green carpet of Cleavers (Bedstraw) beneath an open canopy that is very slowly greening up.

A Song Thrush perches high overhead taking a rest from proclaiming its territory with its characteristic repetitive song.

The reserve boundary is dominated by an old iron fence that in many places is showing the test of time!

Other 'regulars' during my early morning stroll were Robin (above) and the tiny [Winter] Wren (below) with the big voice.

And finally a collage showing a few of the wild flowers that have appeared during the past couple of weeks including the invasive Three-cornered Garlic growing amongst the Bluebells, Red Dead-nettle, Greater Stitchwort, Green Alkanet and Bedstraw.

Linking to:

Good Fences

Friday Flutters and Patch Birds.

During my patch walks this week the most obvious LBJ was the Chiffchaff with several pairs chasing one another while other singletons were either singing or busily searching for insects.

I have also completed my third weekly butterfly transect walk through the oak woodland on the north of Ashtead Common, hence the return of 'Friday Flutters'.

Due to the lower temperatures the variety and number of each species recorded was very low. Just three Brimstone, including this image of a resting female attempting to soak up as much warmth as possible from the limited sunshine.

 

The only nectar sources available have been the early flowering Bluebells and Lesser Celandine but this week the woodland floor was starting to come alive with large patches of Wood Anemone. The only other flutter recorded this week on the transect was the Peacock (below).

A Kestrel patiently surveys its surroundings in one of the large open woodland glades.

I always encounter a few of the very acrobatic Long-tailed Tits during my walks and have watched several still collecting nesting material.

Once again this week the three pairs of Lapwing on the fields at Rushett Farm were very vocal as they endeavoured to chase off any of the Carrion Crows that entered their territorial airspace.

Linking to:
Saturday's Critters
Nature Notes

Patch Birds: Lapwing.

For the last five years I have regularly recorded the arrival of small numbers of [Northern] Lapwing (Vanellus vanellus) during mid February on the stubble fields at Rushett Farm. The highest number logged was last year when there were 17 individuals but today I only noted 7 birds and had to wait very patiently for an individual to venture within the scope of my lens as it searched for insects on the sodden ground.

Unfortunately these distant, cropped shots don't really show off its glorious plumage; metallic glossy green upper-parts with blackish crest and bronze scapulars.

Most of the time the birds were in the air, flying low over the field, but occasionally they ventured much higher providing an opportunity to watch their highly acrobatic, tumbling display accompanied by their continuous bubbling, wheezy flight calls hence its common name 'Peewit'.

This is another species on the UK RED list due to the recent trend of breeding and population decline (1981-2015) with its European conservation status considered 'vulnerable' and globally as 'near threatened'. 

Linking to:
Saturday's Critters

Patch Birds: The Coot.

A regular sight around the Great Pond on my local patch during Winter and Spring is the Coot (Fulica atra). Unlike some larger water-bodies they only ever appear in very small numbers with currently just a pair in residence.

 How they never seem to trip over their own feet I'll never know!

Patch Birds.

 

Visits to my local patch have been somewhat infrequent this year mainly due to the inclement weather. 

Earlier this week on a very blustery morning following severe overnight gales  initially there seemed to be very little avian activity apart from a single Black-headed Gull on sentry duty ...

 ... and a solitary Coot resting at the waters edge.

When I reached the Great Pond the effect of the recent high rainfall was clear to see with water stretching far beyond its normal boundaries. Again it appeared bird-less but as the sun peeked through several species emerged from the saturated wooded margins. I logged around 30 Mallard, a pair of Northern Shoveler, a single male Tufted Duck and a pair of Teal.

As I circled the pond I noticed the emergence of a very colourful species that regularly appears at this time of year ... Mandarin Ducks. Initially two pairs drifted into view and then a further six males joined the party.

After a short time at least four of the males departed. In previous years I have often seen ten or more males chasing after just one or two females before trying their luck elsewhere!

 It will be interesting to see whether any of the pairs hang around.  FAB.

Linking to WILD BIRD WEDNESDAY.

Goodbye 2015.

A final wander around my local patch for 2015. While trudging the very muddy paths after an overnight deluge I watched mixed parties of Long-tail, Great and Blue Tits busily foraging together with a couple of flighty Goldcrests; a Nuthatch tapped busily overhead; Wren, Blackbird and Robin made a brief appearance  and a group of Redwings flitted from tree to tree. Not much to see on the ponds apart from a single Coot and Moorhen plus 20 Mallard and a pair of Cormorants soaking up the winter sunshine.

Very few photo opportunities apart from a Grey Heron patiently watching alongside one of the ditches.

So as we say goodbye to 2015 and look forward to 2016 I leave you with a recent image of a young Fallow buck and wish everyone a HAPPY and wildlife rich NEW YEAR. FAB.