PWC 2016 March Totals

Feb excels!!!

Midlands Mini League, with friends Sam (@birdboysam) and Jack 

Under 25 Mini league, with friends Sam (@birdboysam) and Jack

March has been a very eventful month on the patch, with highlights being Tufted Duck, Blackcap, Sand Martin, Swallow, Red Kite and a very unexpected Harris Hawk

Mute Swan : This year already has been the best EVER for Mute Swan on the patch, with 13 birds flying W at dusk on the 11th over the 'pond'

Greylag Goose: A resident bird on the patch in small numbers, the highest count this month was 4 birds seen at the 'pond' on the 11th

Mallard: A resident flock of between 10-30 birds at the pond, 15 birds were counted on the 'pond' on the 11th at dusk

Tufted Duck: A pair were seen on the 'pond' on the 16th, this is the first record of Tufted Duck on the patch, then probably the same pair on the 29th at the 'pond'

Tufted Ducks

Red-legged Partridge: Resident but very scarce on the patch, 1 bird was heard calling then later flushed accidently on the 6th just outside the village

Pheasant: A resident species on the patch, with 3 birds seen on the 9th at the 'pond'

Grey Heron: 3 records this month of Grey Heron, only been one bird presumably the same bird each time feeding at the 'pond'.

Red Kite: 2 records this month, which is very unusual, the first record was a single bird being mobbed by 2 Carrion Crows on the 14th, and 2 birds flying E between Old Dalby Wood and the 'pond' on the 19th

Sparrowhawk: Been very elusive this month with only 2 records (that I've seen, as my dad had one in the garden) the sightings being a juvenile bird at Saxelbye Hall on the 15th and 23rd

Harris Hawk: One bird I never imagined to get on the patch, one bird flew south of the grain dyrer early on, on the 30th, this bird could be the bird last seen back in November at Cossington Meadows, this bird had no bells or jessie's to distinguish where the bird had come from.

Photos of the Harris Hawk being mobbed by local corvids on the 30th

Photos of the Harris Hawk being mobbed by local corvids on the 30th

Buzzard: A resident species on the patch, 1 bird was seen soaring around one of the local woods on the 6th

Moorhen: A resident species on the patch in small numbers, with 3 birds seen on the 9th at the 'pond'

Black-headed Gull: Passage bird through the patch throughout the year, with 100+ birds flying over on the 5th, presumably coming from a roost

Common Gull: Passage bird through the patch throughout the year, with 20+ birds seen flying amongst the Black -headed Gulls on the 5th

Lesser Black-Backed Gull: One record of 5 birds soaring high over the village on the 20th

Herring Gull: 3 birds feeding at the Stud on the 23rd

Stock Dove: A resident species in small flock numbers (1-20), with 10+ birds amongst a corvid flock in the paddocks near the stud on the 9th

Stock Dove from the 9th

Woodpigeon: A resident species with flocks between 50-200 usually seen around the patch throughout the year

Collared Dove: A few pairs linger around the village, later on in the month, they started to pair up, with 4 pairs being the highest count on the 25th

Green Woodpecker: One bird has been heard 'yaffeling' near the stud, yet to be seen but heard on 4 occasions, then a female seen at Saxelbye Wood on the 31st

Great Spotted Woodpecker: 3 birds was the highest count 5th, with males heard most mornings drumming on their favorite trees

Kestrel: 5 records this month, at 2 separate breeding locations, with one pair already checking out nesting sites!

Magpie: 9 records this month, with 7 birds being the highest count in  Saxelbye Hall on the 25th

Jay: First of the year with a bird heard then later seen at Saxelbye Hall on the 12th, this is one of only a few locations out of their breeding area

Jackdaw: A resident bird on the patch throughout the year with 200+ birds seen at their roost sites most night in the woods

Rook: A resident bird on the patch throughout the year with 300+ birds seen at their roost sites most night in the woods

Carrion Crow:A resident species on the patch, with 10+ birds seen at the stud through the month

Raven: 2 records this month, both single birds one record on the 15th and the other on 25th, probably the same bird

Goldcrest: 8 records this month, the highest count was 3 birds at Saxelbye Wood, there has been a definite influx of these birds around the patch

Blue Tit: A resident species on the patch, with 7 birds present in the garden on the 14th being the highest count

Great Tit: A resident species on the patch, with 4 birds present in the garden on the 25th being the highest count at one time

Coal Tit; A resident species on the patch, with 3 birds present at the grain dryer on the 12th

Skylark: A resident species on the patch, a massive influx in Skylark on the patch this month as birds are starting to pair up, the highest count being 14 birds on the 25th

Swallow: One bird was heard then seen flying N at the bottom of Saxelbye Park on the 25th, this is the earliest record on the patch and the 4th record for the county this year, then 2 birds present on the 31st in the village

Swallow seen on 25th just at the bottom of Saxelbye Park

Long-tailed Tit: A resident species on the patch, with a flock 5 being the highest count, and many pairs seen carrying nesting material, yet to find the nests though

Chiffchaff: One bird was heard singing at Shoby on the 26th, this bird had a pollen 'horn' bigger than it's bill #rhinobird!!! With 5 birds present at Shoby at the end of the month heard singing

Blackcap: 1st record of the month was a Male bird in the garden on the 9th

Blackcap

Nuthatch: 2 records this month, with 1 bird feeding in the garden on the 9th, and one heard calling in Saxelbye hall on the 25th

Treecreeper: 3 records this month with 3 birds at the Grain Dryer on the 6th being the highest count

Treecreeper

Wren: A resident species on the patch with 4 birds chasing each other round the garden on the 1st

Starling: A resident flock of between 50-100 birds present feeding at the Stud throughout the month

Blackbird: A resident species on the patch with 7 birds feeding in the orchard on the 13th being the highest count

Fieldfare: A massive influx at the start of the month 300+ counted on the 5th, since then numbers have fallen to around 20+ moving through

Song Thrush: An influx of Song Thrush throughout this month with 12 birds present at Saxelbye Hall on the 19th

Redwing: A decrease throughout this month as these birds migrate to Scandinavia, with the highest count being 60+ at Shoby on the 20th

Mistle Thrush: 2 birds present on the 12th, then records of single birds present throughout the month

Robin: A resident species on the patch, with 6 birds present singing throughout the month within the village

Dunnock: A resident species with 7 birds present on the 12th in the garden

House Sparrow: A resident 70 birds present throughout the month in the village, plus 20 birds at Shoby present

Tree Sparrow: 5 birds present on the patch on the 30th, with 2 pairs established territories, this is the highest count of breeding pairs ever on the patch, hopefully this is a sign of the population increasing

Grey Wagtail: One record of a this species seen on the 20th flying North

Pied Wagtail: A definite increase on this species, with 27 birds present at a roost at the stud on the 27th

Meadow pipit: Another bird increasing as migration carries on, with 15+ birds moving through the patch on the 27th

Brambling: As expected numbers decreased due to migration, but 15 birds present on the 1st, with 3 birds present on the 31st

Chaffinch: Flocks of c30 birds seen along the fields near the grain dryer throughout the month

Bullfinch: 5 birds present at Shoby on the 29th, this was the highest count on the patch

Greenfinch: Good numbers of these birds around the patch with a flock of c10 seen near the 'pond' on the 12th

Linnet: Good numbers of this species seen across the patch with 5 birds present on the 30th, with single birds seen across the month

Goldfinch: 15 birds seen at Shoby towards the end of the month, setting up residency in the local hedgerows

Siskin: 2 records this month, with 2 birds seen flying North on the 14th, over the garden

Yellowhammer: 12 birds seen at the stud on the 30th, feeding on the seeds for the local horses

Reed Bunting: More birds seen this month with 4 males singing at Shoby on the 31st

All species new for the year

Final score and result for the month

PWC 2016 FebruaryTotals

The first 2 spreadsheets show my score compared to the other people, the first spreadsheet is the category (NGB/AFON Under 25) and the second category is Midlands League

Here is my standing in red, and my rival (friend) Sam who i'm competing against (Midlands League)

Here is my standing in red, and my rival (friend) Sam who i'm competing against (Under 25 League)

So February has been a more quiet month compared to January, with highlights being Stonechat, Lapwing,  Raven, Marsh Tit, Bramblings and Jay.

Mute Swan: 6 birds flew E on the 18th, this is one of a handful of records of Mute Swan on the Patch

Greylag Goose: The highest count was 7 birds flying round the village on the 18th, but 2 birds have regularly been seen hanging round at the 'pond'

3 Greylag Geese at the 'pond' on the 28th

Mallard: The usual c30 birds hanging round the 'pond' with 2 domestic mallards in there as well

Red-Legged Partridge: 1 bird was seen sulking along a hedgerow just outside Shoby on the 19th

Pheasant: A resident species on the Patch, the highest count being 6 birds in the paddocks near the Stud.

Sparrowhawk: Only 1 record this month, with a male bird flying through Saxelbye Park on the 21st

Buzzard: A resident species on the Patch, 2 birds was the highest count on the 7th, with one bird giving close views in the Paddocks near the Stud, which some of you might have seen photos on my Twitter Page

Buzzard

Buzzard

Moorhen: 3 birds were present throughout the month at the 'pond' and 2 birds were seen at a different site in the 19th

Lapwing: 22 birds were seen feeding in a winter wheat field on the 28th on my way back from the Woodland Survey

Part of the Lapwing flock from the 28th

Black-headed Gull: 2 flocks both containing c40 birds in each flew over the patch on the 18th

Stock Dove: 8 birds were present in the paddocks near the Stud feeding with Starlings and Corvids on the 19th

Woodpigeon: A resident species on the Patch, the biggest flock contained 300+ birds on the 9th

Stock Dove: 3 records this month with the biggest flock of 8+ birds feeding with 300+ corvids in the paddocks on the 19th

Collared Dove: A resident species on the patch, with 2 pairs being the highest count around the village on the 18th

Little Owl: A resident but a species that likes to keep itself hidden! With one record this month being one bird sat on a telegraph post on the 28th

Terrible Shot of a Little Owl on the 28th

Green Woodpecker:One record this month with a female bird flying through the village on the 5th

Great-Spotted Woodpecker: 3 records this month, all 1 individuals with one male heard drumming on the 14th

Kestrel: 2 records this month with a pair seen at their breeding site just outside the village on the 12th

Magpie: A resident species on the patch with 3 records the highest count being 4 birds in the paddocks near the stud.

Jay: One bird was heard then seen fly through Saxelbye Hall on the 7th, this is one of a handful of records

Jackdaw: A resident species on the patch, with the highest flock being 300+ with a bird with abnormal plumage seen on the 28th

Abnormal Jackdaw Plumage on the 28th

Rook: A resident species on the patch with the largest flock being 200+ birds on the 15th

Carrion Crow: A resident species with the highest flock being 20+ on the 15th

One of the Raven's from the 7th

Raven: 2 records with 3 birds seen on the 7th, this is already the most records of Raven I've ever had on the patch


Goldcrest: 2 records this month 7 birds were present in Old Dalby Wood during my monthly Woodland Survey on the 28th

Blue Tit: A resident species on the patch, with 5 birds was the biggest flock counted, which was in my garden on the 27th

Great Tit: A resident species on the patch, with the biggest flock being 7 birds moving through Shoby on the 7th

Coal Tit: Only 2 records of this species, numbers have fallen as were arriving to spring, with 2 birds present in the garden on the 19th and 5 birds on the 28th during my Woodland Survey

Marsh Tit: Less than 10 birds ever recorded on the patch, but they are becoming more frequent, one bird was heard then seen briefly on the 18th at Saxelbye Park with a tit flock also containing one of the only records of Treecreeper this month.

Skylark: Up to 7 birds were seen on the 7th, with 3-4 birds heard singing regularly

Skylark from the 7th

Long-tailed Tit: One local flock containing 12 birds was seen on 3 separate occasions with the first record being on the 18th

Treecreeper: With 2 records this month, the record being on the 18th at Saxelbye park in a Tit flock including the Marsh Tit, the other record being 2-3 birds present in Old Dalby Wood during my survey, this is the highest record of Treecreepers seen at once ever!
 

One of the Treecreeper's in Old Dalby Wood on the 28th

Wren: A resident species but elusive on the patch, 3 birds was the highest count in Old Dalby Wood on the 28th

Starling: A resident species on the patch, with the highest count being 400+ in the paddocks near the Stud

Blackbird: A resident species on the patch, with 11 birds being the highest count near the grain dryer on the 7th

Fieldfare: Only 4 records this month, with 200+ moving through on the 20th, but 1 bird is present throughout the month on the local orchard

Redwing: Only 3 records this month with the highest count being 100+ on the 20th.

A single bird seen at Shoby on the 27th

Mistle Thrush: 2 records this month, with 2 birds present around the village on the 20th then the 27th

Song Thrush: 4 records this month, numbers do seem to have increased possibly due to Scandinavian birds moving through with 7 birds counted along the hedgerows on the way for the woodland survey on the 28th

Robin: A resident species on the patch, with 5 birds present at Shoby being the highest count

Stonechat: A female was present along the hedgerows near Saxelbye Park on the 20th, this is the first record EVER on the patch, and it was my youngest cousin (6 years old) who spotted it first, young birder in the making!!!!!!!!!

Dunnock: A resident species on the patch, with 4 birds in my garden on the 15th being the highest count in one place.

House Sparrow: A resident species on the patch, with 50+ always in the hedgerows near my house

Tree Sparrow: A resident species on the patch, 1 pair was seen at their breeding location on the 18th

Heavily cropped image of a Tree Sparrow on the 18th

Grey Wagtail: One bird was heard flying over the village on the 20th

Pied Wagtail (yarrellii):  2 birds present throughout the month on the paddocks near the stud

Meadow Pipit: First record of the year with a single bird flying through (N) on the 18th

Brambling: The record was broken once again with 42 birds present on the 21st, the numbers suddenly dropped with only a few birds back at the grain dryer

Part of the Brambling flock from the 17th

Chaffinch: A resident species on the patch with 50+ seen on the 28th near where the Lapwings were

Bullfinch: A resident species, 5 birds was the highest count on the 17th at Shoby

Greenfinch: A resident species on the patch, with 5 birds present around the village with 3 of them being singing and displaying males

Linnet:A resident species on the patch, only 1 record this month of a single bird flying through on the 7th, there numbers have been down this year compared to other years, maybe due to a mild winter

Lesser Redpoll: 2 records both at the start of the month, with 2 birds at Shoby on the 7th being the highest total.

Goldfinch: A resident species on the patch, with 20+ being the highest count on the 20th

Siskin: 2 records this month, 2 birds present on the 7th, then 10+ present again in Old Dalby Wood on the 28th

Siskin at Shoby from the 7th

Yellowhammer: A resident species on the patch, with 5 records of this species, with 21 being the highest count in the paddocks near the stud

Yellowhammer from the 28th

Reed Bunting: One record this month of an individual seen at Shoby on the 18th


Here are my records of all the species for the month

And here are the new species for the year: