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Saturday 6th March - Jon Lloyd What a great morning to be out early. We didn't get the mist, frost and sunshine promised but but a few hours after sunrise the early morning felt very spring like. The dark clouds in the east and the sun coming up from the west created warm lighting with contrasting skies -great atmosphere for walking. The Blackbirds thought it was spring anyway! A pair faced up in the middle of the road then flew at each other and climbed up breast to breast, squabbling into the air. I started early at the Buttery and walked down the lane and out to the south to get a better view of the Swans, There were 47 Mute Swans out here, still here from last night when they had settled down with a flock of Canadian Geese in the last light. The morning found them sat down in the grass and grazing on the lush grass here. The wet ground is still soggy from the flooding in these meadows and they are still holding a few snipe. Out on the Eastern fields, a rape field from last year, is still providing good foraging for small birds. There were around 150 Linnets charging about on the field and two Lapwings in the bottom corner. A large flock of Starling and a group of Fieldfare fed in the open field with Skylarks singing overhead. It was not surprising that with all the bird activity that a Merlin bombed through low and fast. Shortly afterwards a female Sparrowhawk tried the same tactics but both were unsuccessful. The cloud of Linnets leapt up into the Alders on the field boundary. A single Meadow Pipit called as it flew overhead. The pools were busy. A group of Black headed gulls were squabbling on the open water in amongst 8 Mute Swans. The swans were going through various courtship actions, gentle neck rubbing and neck twisting whilst uttering gentle crooning noises. there were 2 Little Grebes on the pools also calling. This is often a characteristic of spring on these pools. For the last few years two or three pairs of Little Grebe have chased each other around the pools through March and April. A single pair has remained to breed but we have never seen any young. The water levels fall and birds disappear. Only a pair of Shoveler, and Canada Geese this morning with a dozen or so Mallard. Coot numbers down to about 8 and 2 Moorhen. Two male Reed Buntings were out calling on the wetland from the tallest rushes of other vegetation they could find. The Hawthorn paddock produced the usual small birds; Tree Creeper, Greenfinch and Goldfinch Dunnock and Robin. I found a couple of Song Thrushes in here. On the recently ploughed field on the lower ground beneath the Grange two Misgtle Thrushes were feeding amongst a small group of Fieldfare. The grange pool harboured 12 Wigeon.
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Martin Grant. Hi Jon today Thursday 4th March at Wall Farm a pair of Mute Swans, Blue EY7
with an un-ringed female, were chasing off a young pair, Blue EQ7 WITH A
yellow ringed female, it looks as though the former pair are attempting to
set up a territory ready for breeding. Pete Jordan reported the Whooper Swan |