OUT ON THE GOLF COURSE

Another milder day with some sunshine brought me out again  onto the golf course. I'm quite excited about finding all these new areas to watch and spot wildlife. Today additional birds included a wren and a pheasant (heard). 

Blackthorn is out in abundance and I found a chiffchaff singing amongst the flowers and a peacock butterfly sunning itself on  some willow. 

DAILY EXERCISE!

 With restrictions on leaving the house I have been taking a daily walk around different areas of  my local golf course, which lies close to where I live. I'm not actually sure of the total area which is covered by this nine hole course, but it covers several fields which are separated by areas of mature hedgerow and small groups of trees. 

I've been walking in different areas of the course, interested to find out what wildlife lives there. Last week the weather was fine and warm for much of the time. Unsurprising, then, that I found my first few butterflies of the year, brimstone, peacock and small tortoiseshell. 

peacock

small tortoiseshell

This week, though, has brought us a cold NE wind, which makes it less inviting to go out as the golf course is obviously rather exposed to windy conditions. Today it was sunny and I made for a sheltered area of trees and bushes. I could hear a couple of robins and the twittering of goldfinches but then amongst it I picked out the sound of a chiffchaff, not the first this year but still welcome.   It took me a while to locate it  but eventually I did, having had to cross over a ditch bridged by a few planks of wood to get to the otherside of the hedgerow. Other birds regularly seen on the golf course include rooks, magpies and crows and I've often heard the call of a green woodpecker, though only once have I managed to see it, a flash of olive green flying out though the undergrowth to the other side of the wood. 

EASY PICKINGS

It's not often I make an hour's journey just to see one bird, but today it was certainly worth the effort!

A lone waxwing has been spotted feasting on white rowan berries from a tree in a small Worcesetershire village called Blackminster, near Evesham; it's been there a week now, although   it was only drawn to my attention when I was reading some of   the blogs by local Oxfordshire birders. 

 I realised that I should be able to get there within an hour if I went straight from work today so with some sandwiches in the car, that's' what I did. Although many of the photographs I've seen show the bird's lovely colours against clear blue skies,  I knew it would not be possible today, with rain forecast later in the afternoon, but I  was hopeful of at least some photographs, providing the bird was still there of course!

On reaching Blackminster I drove across the railway crossing, where the bird has been feeding in the rowan tree right next to the gates. I couldn't  see anyone else there but thought I would park in the small carpark near some shops about  50 yds down the road and then walk back to see if I could find, firstly, the right tree and then hopefully the right bird! 

I turned ready to go back across the train tracks and but as I did so, spotted another birder who had obviously just arrived and as I passed him, I could also make out a sole bird perched a tree where he was standing, Encouraged, I quickly parked up and returned to the crossing.


The waxwing was feeding intermittently from the white berries; why it was just the one bird, I don't know, but at least the plentiful supply had  ensured  it had easy pickings and consequently has been around for several days, as a whole flock would have stripped the tree very quickly.

The sky was becoming quite overcast  as we stood there, but I managed to get a some photos of what is one of the best views I can expect to have of this beautiful bird. I guess I got  a bit carried away but here are some of the better ones!

the rowan tree is a  small tree on the right just after the crossing barriers

standing next to the barriers looking back toward the row of shops where |I parked my car

A LITTLE RESPITE

With only one thing dominating the news at the moment I felt the need for a little respite, so after spending the  quite mild and fairly sunny morning trimming my lawn edges  and  then hanging  out the washing, I ventured out to my local country park for a walk in the woods.

It proved to be a bit of tit fest as hardly had I taken a few steps away after putting out some bird food on some upturned logs, a blue tit was quick to take advantage, followed by great tits, and a coal tit  Long tailed tits were in the trees and also visited the bird table close by. Chaffinches, a robin and a dunnock were also present, oh and not forgetting a couple of nuthatches too. Then I heard a large movement in the trees behind, and saw a buzzard perched there. Not a bird I've seen regularly in the woods at Stanton. 

nuthatch

robin

wren preening

long tailed tit

SLIMBRIDGE WWT

Today, I made another unsuccessful trip to try and see the tawny owl at Frampton on Severn but went on to visit Slimbridge Wetlands where I did manage to add another couple of species to my list for the year.   

With the return of some sunny weather and a drop in the wind strength it was a pleasant afternoon at the WWT Centre.  I made  visits to each of the hides ,but  having  less time than usual, didn't spend very long at each one. Nevertheless I did manage a total of 39 species today. The car park seemed full when I arrived at 1.30 pm,but there were not many people about, only one or two visitors per for the most part at each hide. The Bewicks swans seemed to have all gone, but there were still pintails around on the Rushy Pen. The geese were fairly close in at the Estuary Tower, and I was able to get a better view of the feral barnacle goose flock, with the bar-headed and snow x bar headed goose amongst them. 

Down at the kingfisher hide, a kingfisher was sitting perched on a branch outside the bank of nestholes, hopefully a good sign for later on.. and also the first I have seen so far this year. ..  Avocets are on the increase, but the cattle egret, little egret and male goldeneye had all disappeared from the South  Lake at lunch time. However,  I did manage to see them all on my last visit. 

snipe

curlew

(feral) bar headed goose

Bewicks swan. This one was not with the captive flock but alone in another area, I did wonder if it was the last Bewicks swan that had relocated, rather than migrated!

shoveler

kingfisher outside nesting hole

teal

BARN OWL

I've not been out birding lately but as I had to return to school for an after school club today I thought I would  firstly drive round to a spot nearby where a parent had told me a couple of barn owls are regularly seen perched on fence posts next to the road. It seems that many people have recorded seeing barn owls hunting during the day recently; it appears that the weather may be having an effect.

It was  half past two as I approached, and almost immediately, I could see the pale colour of an owl as it flew low above a grassy paddock next to a house; I stopped the car to watch, and the owl turned and flew towards me and landed on a post right adjacent to where I was parked! Quickly lowering the window, I got out my camera to take a few shots before it flew off again, landing a few posts further back. As it had seemed quite undisturbed by the car's presence, I ventured to reverse a little back down the narrow country road, stopping again by the owl.  After a few minutes it flew off again and perched further away, but as I had to get back to school, I had to leave.