Swindonbirder: February 2014

Thursday 27 February 2014

A Grey Day

On the way home from the shops I decided to drop into Lawns and have a quick walk around both pools. Apart from a noisy Great Spotted Woodpecker, there was very little going on. On the bottom pool there were 23 Mallard (18 drake, 5 duck) with most of them on the banks sunning themselves. A lone Canada Goose made its way round the pool, and looked a bit poorly. On its throat there was a patch where a few feathers were missing, possibly from a fight of some sort. Just a bit odd!

Bottom Pool looking back towards Cardigan Close

Bottom Pool again but looking towards the Woods

Great Spotted Woodpecker

Two drake Mallard

A lone Canada Goose

Also on the bottom pool there were 3 Moorhens, with one struggling to stand on a branch in the wind. After a few seconds it gave up and swam back to the bank.

A Moorhen struggling in the wind

On the way up to the top pool a couple of trees had fallen in the gales from a week or so back. One had crashed onto the island and the other across the path. The council I presume have cut a section out of the trunk so that you can now walk up the slope.

Two fallen trees

In the woods there was plenty going on with many species now pairing up. A pair of Long-tailed Tits shot past me as did a Coal Tit, a pair of Great Tits and a pair of Blue Tits. In wasn't just the birds either as I counted at least 4 Grey Squirrels, just around the lake.

Long-tailed Tit

Grey Squirrel

And another one

And yet another one

On the top pool there were 10 Mallard (8 drake, 2 duck) and a Coot. Strangely enough the resident Mute Swans were nowhere to be seen!

The Top Pool

The path between the two pools

As I walked between the two pools I could see a Magpie collecting twigs and as I came down the slope on the other side of the bottom pool, I could see her building a big nest on top of a swaying tree. Not the best of nesting sites.

Magpie collecting nesting material

As I left the pools and made my way back to the car I could hear more Goldfinches jangling away in the tree tops and a Squirrel number 5 on the path in front of me.

Goldfinch

Wednesday 26 February 2014

A bit of a Raptor Day

Having just popped out at lunchtime to buy some stamps at Covingham Post Office, I wished I'd taken my camera. As I headed back to the car a Red Kite was being mobbed by two Carrion Crows. It dropped like a stone to avoid being being attacked and at one stage was below the roof tops. Eventually it gained height and headed east.

Red Kite and Carrion Crow - Mobile Phone Camera

Red Kite and Carrion Crows - Mobile Phone Camera

When I got home there was a commotion outside and at a great height there was a Buzzard heading south being mobbed by gulls.

Buzzard at altitude - probably over a 1000 ft up

Tuesday 25 February 2014

Morning Sun

With the opportunity of seeing a Red-breasted Merganser at Coate Water, as one had been seen yesterday, I thought I'd have a look this morning. I made my way round to the causeway, but unfortunately it had gone. But there were still plenty of other highlights, with 10 Goosanders (a pair and 8 female/juveniles), Great Crested Grebes, Cormorants, Tufted Ducks and Gadwall on the Main Lake. Other birds noted were Grey Heron, Mute Swan, Canada Goose, Mallard, Moorhen, Coot, Black-headed Gull, Herring Gull, Lesser Black-backed Gull, Wood Pigeon, Feral Pigeons, Green Woodpecker, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Pied Wagtail, Dunnock, Robin, Blackbird, Song Thrush, 2 Mistle Thrush, Goldcrest, Long-tailed Tit, Great Tit, Blue Tit, Wren, Magpie, Rook, Carrion Crow, Jackdaw, Starling, House Sparrow, Chaffinch, Siskin, Goldfinch and Greenfinch.

Coate Water Noticeboard

Great Crested Grebe

A pair of Goosander

Goosander - male

Goosander with the female collecting weed

A pair of Goosander with the drake collecting weed

A pair of Goosander

Cormorant

Juvenile Moorhen

Adult Moorhen

So having dipped on the Merganser, I dropped into Liden Lagoon for walk around the lake. It was pretty quite here as well with the main highlights being a single Great Crested Grebe, 3 drake Pochards, 10 Tufted Duck (3 pairs, and 4 males), 22 Canada Geese, a Grey Wagtail and a Buzzard being mobbed by both Herring Gulls and Lesser Black-backed Gulls. Other birds noted were resident pair of Mute Swans, Mallard, 13 Moorhen, Coot, Black-headed Gull, 3 Herring Gull (2 adult and 1st winter), 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull, Wood Pigeon, a pair of Collared Dove, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Pied Wagtail, Dunnock, Robin, Blackbird, Song Thrush, Goldcrest, Long-tailed Tit, Great Tit, Blue Tit, Wren, Magpie, Carrion Crow, Starling, House Sparrow, Chaffinch, Goldfinch and Greenfinch.

Collared Dove

And the other half

Buzzard being mobbed

Buzzard

Buzzard being mobbed by a Lesser Black-backed Gull

Tufted Duck - drake

Grey Wagtail

Moorhen

On the way back home I stopped off at Nythe Pool, hoping for a Little Egret. Unfortunately not, instead there were 3 Mallard (2 drakes and a duck) and 3 Moorhens. Around the pool were: Wood Pigeon, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Dunnock, Robin, Blackbird, Long-tailed Tit, Great Tit, Blue Tit, Wren, Magpie, Carrion Crow, House Sparrow, Chaffinch, Goldfinch, Greenfinch and a pair of Bullfinches.

Mallard - synchronised diving

Dunnock singing

And the rear

Sun, Mud, Bees and Pirouettes

A family outing at Stanton Park last Saturday (22 Feb 14), proved interesting. The Country Park is a very popular venue for walkers, dog walkers, wildlife enthusiasts and photographers. So it was no surprise to find thick gooey mud on most of the woodland paths. But at least the sun was out; something that has been in short supply of late.

Part of the Woodland trail

Boggy Woods

The main track between Stratton and Stanton Woods

Interestingly though, there were the dozens of Honey Bees also enjoying this mild spell.. Fortunately for them the only flowers out at the moment are the beautiful Snowdrops, which also appear to be very abundant this year. The weather is very confusing and already there are reports of Small Tortoiseshell and Peacock butterflies flying about. And only yesterday my father saw both a Peacock and Red Admiral in Essex.

Honey Bee on Snowdrop

Honey Bees on Snowdrop

It's not just Snowdrops out but also Daffodils, Crocuses and Primroses. It must be Spring.

Most of the woodland birds appear to be pairing up and males seem to be singing from every branch we passed. There were Blue Tits, Great Tits, Coal Tits, Long-tailed Tits, Dunnocks, Robins and Blackbirds just about everywhere you looked. A few winter thrushes are still here, and in the fields that separate Stanton Wood with Stratton Wood there were several Redwing and a pair of Fieldfare, no doubt fuelling up for their flight back to Scandinavia. Overhead a pair of Buzzards were calling and will be courting soon.

Robin

On the lake there were a few Canada Geese with one individual with an orange collar, with the letters FT. It transpires it was ringed as an adult on 5 Jul 12 on CWP125, which is where it spent most of its time up until now. It is listed as being a male but was very light for a male when ringed (3.9kg) and has not been recorded as having a partner. This information was courtesy of the University of Exeter, who carried out a project on the movement of 153 Canada Geese in the CWP in May 2012.

Canada Goose - FT

No walk would be without its drama and this one was no different, as Dawn decided to perform her own version of "Dancing on Ice". This time on mud. For marks out of 10 I'd give her 7.5. Only because she couldn't hold the pirouette and landed bum first onto the muddy bank. We did laugh. To make matters worse the jacket she was wearing had just come out of the wash.