Bird Count ... 18 April 2014

find below link to the spreadsheet for the April Bird count.

41 species was nice

Summer visitors arriving with 2 Cuckoo, blackcap, 11 willow warblers, chiffchaffs, 7 Tree pipits and 14 redstarts.

Plenty of Blackbirds around.  A nice couple of Brambling.

Plenty of things that are on the reserve we did not see, for instance long tailed tits.

Weather was not quite sunny enough to bring things out.

Martin



click here for spreadsheet

Bird Count ... 17th March 2014

find below a link to the bird count spreadsheet for 17 march 2014

43 species was quite something.

Just a bit of everything.  Some things coming back to the area, for instance Bullfinch, Greenfinch , Linnets (20 in one flock), 1 Heron.  Good numbers of Wrens and Chaffinches.  Plus the first migrants ie chiffchaff.

Brambling, Redwing, Woodcock are still around, while fieldfare have gone.

Martin


click here for spreadsheet

Bird Count ... 21st February 2014

Below is a link to the spreadsheet for the bird count at Old Lodge on 21st Feb 2014.

34 species again, which is perfectly OK for a February

2 rarities for Old Lodge.  1 male house sparrow at top lodge, calling and being territorial.  The other a large flock, estimated at 200, of starlings on one of the paddocks of the stud.  They were down near the pippingford boundary, about where the stream emerges from nowhere under the road.  Perhaps the grassland was completely water logged and there were plenty of worms to be had.

A jackdaw is increasingly being seem or heard.  There is a big flock centred on Kidds Hill farm where they raise sheep, and these are now spreading further afield.

Plenty of starlings and robins


Martin


click to get the spreadsheet

Bird Count ... 20th January 2014

Below is the spreadsheet for the Old Lodge bird count for January 2014.

The highlight was Parrot Crossbills.  We had a bit of difficulty counting and only got up to 9, whereas at other times it has clearly been 10.  We must have missed one.  They just sat in a pine on South Heath munching away at cones.  They could not be dislodged in order to count them, and just dropped cones on us in our attempts.

2 Mallard, 1 starling and 1 woodlark are perhaps of more interest in terms of possible breeding species, but they do not bring the twitchers in.

34 species is really quite good for the winter.


click for spreadsheet



martin

15th April 2014 ... weekly volunteers

Present:

John, Jonathan, Mike, Alan, Pat, Keith, Ray, David a, Neil, Stuart and Martin

Activities:

- pulling ragwort along road

- lookering ponies, but failed to find them.  Found later in week and OK.

- pollarding birches north of cattle pen

- taking out small birches along fence behind cottages, and 2 pines

- fencing work on south heath

- first half of nest boxes

- john did some ditch work

- collecting bark and placing on car park path

- collecting some bags of bracken peat from roller stan

- keith took 2 nest boxes for repair

- another box brought to tool store for repair

- coppicing pine saplings, pulling birch and gorse along reynards way

Observations:

- raven chasing 2 buzzards

- tree pipits

- flock of 6 woodlarks.  Family?

- plenty of redstarts

- stonechats

- willow warblers, chiffchaffs

- heron

- jackdaw

Martin

8th April 2014 ... weekly volunteers

Present:

John, Jonathan, Mike, Neil, Pat, Keith, Ray, David a and Martin

Activities:

- ring-barked birch en route to owl wood

- pollarded birch which was leaning across fence with foresters cottage

- recovered  tree tubes from pile hidden near this fence and put on edge of birch grove ready for use.

- two brash fires on edge of owl wood

- clear some brash off heather and piled on edge of birch grove

- pulled some birch saplings nearby

- inspected nest boxes to east of reserve. 2 nestboxes taken down for repair .  Need to be collected.

- inspected reptile tins.  1 lizard, 3 slow worms

- lookered ponies

Observations:

- Raven

- brambling

- crossbill

- buzzard

- tiger beetle

 Martin 

1st April 2014 ... weekly volunteers

Present:

John, Jonathan, Alan, Mike, Keith, Neil, Stuart,  David a, David p, Pat and Martin

Activities:

- Repairing fences, particularly along forester's cottage. Still a small amount that can usefully be done

- pulled birch on heath opposite foresters cottage

- moved brash off the heather and into owl wood

Observations:

- Raven fending off 5 Buzzards

- a few redstarts

- chiffchaff, brambling, siskin, wood larks, herring gull

Martin

25th March 2014 ... weekly volunteers

Present:

John, Jonathan, Alan, Neil, Stuart, Mike, Keith, David p, and Martin

Activities:

- check fences prior to pony arrival.  Marked posts needing extra support

- took in load of new posts from Mark at tool store and end of power lines on northern boundary

- repaired berm at top of beeches avenue

- Alan and John did some ditch work along road

- cleaned troughs and turned on the water

- collected bark chippings for main entrance

- refilled brochure box

- showed Mark brash clearance near owl wood

Observations:

- probable sighting of parrot crossbill

- woodlark, meadow pipit, brambling

 Martin

18th March 2014 ... weekly volunteers

Present:

John, Jonathan, Pat, Stuart, Neil, David a, Ray, Keith and Martin

Activities:

- 4 brash fires in Owl wood

- ring barked 3 birch along ridge on way back

Observations:

- may have left small bow saw

- crossbills, redpolls, chiffchaff

- Buzzard

Martin

11th March 2014 ... weekly volunteers

Present:

John, Mike, Keith, Jonathan, Neil, David a, Ray, Pat,  and Martin

Activities:

- John did a bit of ditch work along the road

- 2 bonfires, one on corner of birch grove and other near veteran with owl box

- took down old hanging branch on edge of birch grove

-observations:

- crossbill

- 2 mallard

- siskin, reed bunting, redpolls, meadow pipit, wood lark

Martin

4th March 2014 ... weekly volunteers

Present:

John, Jonathan, Mike, Alan, Keith, David a, David p, Pat, Ray, Neil, Stuart  and Martin

Activities:

- 2 brash fires at high beeches

- work on stoney pond

- work on ditch along road

- metal detecting in bomb crator (none)

Observations:

- 4 buzzards, Raven

- Redpoll, Siskins, 15+ crossbill

- gs woodpecker

Martin

25th February 2014 ... weekly volunteers

Present: John, Alan, David p, Ray, Keith, Jonathan  and  martin.  Neil visited for coffee with back problems.

Activities:

- 2 brash fires below high beeches.  the lower part of tree tunnel is now clear of brash

- took down leaning birch on the bank by the house in the corner

 - John did some more ditch work before coffee

Observations:

- 10 parrot crossbills

- say 5 other crossbills

- Jonathan  bringing metal detector next week

- raven, buzzard, woodlark

Martin

18th February 2014 ... weekly volunteers

Present:

John, Jonathan, David a, Stuart, Pat, Mike, Neil, and Martin

Activities:

- 2 brash bonfires in tree tunnel below high beeches

- made safe the two broken branches of oak tree near the stables. The other branches are currently safe in normal weather

- inspected blocked pipe under path which is overflowing at end of power lines

Observations:

- crossbills, goldfinch, redpolls, chaffinches

- buzzards

- great tits, tree creeper, goldcrests singing

- song thrush, redwings, blackbirds

- badly split pine near owl box in owl wood.  Cannot do anything and off the track

- Keith has made us an extra saw horse

- Mike returned painted and bladed bow saws

- dry hat identified as David p's

- some firewood taken

Martin

11th February 2014 ... weekly volunteers

Present:

John, Jonathan, Mike, David a, Stuart, Keith, Alan , Ray and Martin

Activities:

- weather atrocious

- some ditch work, until John was wet through

- cleared roof and door gutters

- cut and split logs

- put more covers on log pile

- started replacing blades on small saws

- rearranged piles of posts and bags to give access to work bench and vice

Observations:

- nuthatch, woodlark

- mike showed some old arial photos of reserve

Martin

4th February 2014 ... weekly volunteers

Present:

John, Jonathan, Mike, Alan, Ray, David a, Stuart, Keith and  Martin

Activities:

- 2 brash fires in tree tunnel of owl wood

- John did more ditch work before coffee

- more logs brought into tool store

Observations:

- woodlark, buzzard, crossbill, redpolls

- told a 'Goulden' to put her 2 dogs on leads, which was done.  Explained about woodlarks and dogs

- looked at 'quarry' and think it is bomb crater, as there is a bank around it.

- logs taken

- Stuart brought in large tool box

- tarpaulin donated and covering part of log pile

Martin

28th January 2014 ... weekly volunteers

Present:

John, Jonathan, Alan,  Mike, Neil, David a, Stuart, Keith, Ray, Tim Rodd and Martin

Activities:

- two brash bonfires along beeches avenue

observations:

- Raven, woodlark, meadow pipit, crossbill

 Martin 

21st January 2014 ... weekly volunteers

Present:

John, Jonathan, Mike, Alan, David a, Keith, Ray, Stuart, Neil, and Martin

Activities:

- 2 brash fires in Owl wood

Observations:

- woodlark

- crossbill , siskins

- Tawny Owl

- Keith showed photos of parrot crossbill and golden rumped elephant shrew

Martin

14 th January 2014 ... weekly volunteers

Present:

John, Jonathan, Mike, Ray, Pat, Keith, Stuart, Neil, David a and Martin

Activities:

- two brash fires along beeches avenue

- prepared for new fire site

- marked up trees with  Mark

Observations:

- crossbills

- woodlark

- brambling

- reed bunting

- sparrow hawk

Martin

7 th January 2014 ... weekly volunteers

Present:

Mike, Neil, Stewart, David a, David p, Keith, Jonathan, Alan and Martin

Activities:

- did some repairs to gate at car park

- cutting and splitting logs in tractor shed.  Two man saw worked well

Observations:

- lots of birders looking for parrot crossbills

- crossbills

- 50 brambling

- redwing, fieldfare

- 2 Ravens

- some logs taken

- blackbirds

 Martin