Tuesday 31 March 2009

31st March 2009

Seems that at least 3 other birders visited Earlswood today. During the morning, "B90" saw a Swallow circling the Manor Farm, Red Lion and Hungry Horse fields at around 9:00 am, as well as a Kingfisher fly over Engine Pool parallel with the road towards the engine house.
Lee Johnson then visited during the afternoon and saw 1 male Blackcap (singing just past last garden going south on Engine Pool's east side), 4 Chiffchaffs, 3 Swallows, 8 Lesser Black-backed Gulls, 2 Herring Gulls, 5 Buzzards, 2 Jays, 2 Great Spotted Woodpeckers and 1 Nuthatch.
It's always great to hear of others' sightings at Earlswood, so thanks guys for your reports. I too visited the lakes during the afternoon, but can't add much to the above apart from 2 Song Thrushes at the Mereside Fishing Pools. I heard/saw the male Blackcap at the same area that Lee did, and I'm pretty sure now that I heard it at that spot yesterday as well. There was no sign of the Greylag Geese, but according to an Earlswood regular I met there had been 8 or 9 on one occasion this month. Watching the field around the Hungry Horse for c. 20 minutes, saw 1 Kestrel, 1 Common Pheasant, 10 Stock Doves, 1 Feral Pigeon and 2 Goldfinches. In another field along Cleobury Lane, saw a black Rabbit which I've never seen in the wild before (could be an escape of course).
Next migrant at Earlswood is likely to be Willow Warbler, with at least one seen elsewhere in Warwickshire today. It seems that someone reported one at the lakes on April 3rd last year, so will be excellent if one's seen even earlier this year.
M.P. Griffiths

2 comments:

Reg Telescope said...

Ha ha! And there was me going on about the willow warbler I had on 14th April!

Seems I was a bit slow off the mark.

Matt Griffiths said...

Not as slow as me, if I remember right.