Bird Count ... 25th January 2016

click below for January bird count spreadsheet

Notes

with Keith, Ron and mike m

- Robins singing everywhere
- lots of winter thrushes both on the fields at the end of ol1, or roosting on pippingford opposite west pond. very difficult to count.
- star bird was a merlin, a first for me on the reserve.  we thought we saw something above the cross road, but did not get a good view. but it came right past us coming back along the m1.  I rather assume that it was a young bird, but I am not an expert and it passed quite quickly.
- woodcock and marsh tit were nice items to see
- there were 5 woodlarks singing for territory when the sun was out in the morning
- we noted two patches of ground that need further investigation and identification for specific animals
- finches were rather few in number, with rather surprising species. no crossbills, redpolls, siskins, but Bulfinch, linnet and greenfinch.  at least there were some chaffinches this time.
- plenty of things missing including nuthatch, long tailed tit, reed bunting, jay
- weather not cold, as of late, but reasonably windy.  bright early, but dark at the end.
- plenty of small groups of deer

martin


click for spreadsheet

Bird Count ... 18th december 2015

click below for december bird count speadsheet

notes

- Keith, Ron and Martin
- where have all the birds gone to?
- no blue tits or great tits
- are they all in someone's garden eating Christmas peanuts
- one nice flock of long tailed tits
- no nuthatches or treecreepers
- 2 woodlarks singing was probably the most special sighting. I don't think they have left the reserve at all this year
- a woodcock really was next to my foot when it finally decided to fly.  lucky I did not get whitewashed. this was a couple of inches away
- one chaffinch, one Bulfinch and one redpoll was about the limit of the finches
- and no predators
- the ravens though did some wonderful courtship flight around us
- the flock of starlings on one of the fields at the end of ol1 was there again, together with fieldfares and a few redwings
- the stonechats have gone and there was no sign of the 2 Dartford that were seen recently
- perhaps fewer pheasants than recently
- weather dull and warm, but could have been much worse

Martin

click to see spreadsheet

Bird Count ... 26th November 2015

click the link below to see the November bird count spreadsheet

notes

- with mike m and Keith
- lots of blackbirds, including the strange pale cream one up at the car park
- two woodlarks singing away, fighting for territory, plus another elsewhere
- 2 woodcocks were nice
- weather not bad, with very little wind
- no birds of prey
- big flock of starlings on one of the stud fields
- 2 brambling, and most of the normal winter finches
- dunnocks and Goldcrest's seemed to be much more visible and got counted
- but blue tits were the other way round and invisible.
- just one stonechat seen

- ponies looked fine
- chainsaw training going on in the afternoon


martin


click to open spreadsheet

9th February 2016 ... weekly volunteers

present:

John, Jonathan, Alan, Bernard, Keith, David a, Mike m, Mike p, Ray, and Martin

activities:

- looked the ponies and fed them third of a bag of nuts
- 2 bonfires of birch brash in ol2.  cut birch at the lower part of the main clearing.
- John cleared pine saplings on the m1

observations

- ravens, woodlark singing
- nice sunshine around lunch.  started cold

martin

2nd February 2016 ... weekly volunteers

present:

John, Jonathan, Mike m, Mike p, David p, Bernard, Keith, Ray, and Martin

activities:

- ray looked the ponies and gave then some pony nuts
- rodded the drain along the road near the north stone pillar
- cut some more birch in ol2 and had bonfires of this brash and some of the previous brash piles
- John did some pine sapling work on the m1
- mike m collected some pony poo near the roller stand

observations:

- woodlark singing
- two ravens, buzzard

martin

26th January 2016 ... weekly volunteers

present:

John, Jonathan, Keith, Alan, Neil, Ray, Bernard, Mike m, David p, and Martin

activities:

- felled 6 birch trees near the paddy fields on ol1 to form a berm to slow the water run off below the dam.  it will take a couple of years to consolidate.
- cut and logged birch in ol2 either side of the track to let in more light. brash piles formed on the m1 side
- looked the ponies

observations:

- raven
- very windy and so could not have bonfire
- but out of the wind not too bad up to lunch time. then weather horrid.

martin