St Andrews Park!

It was all very quiet in the park this morning apart from a party of 8 or 9 Long-tailed Tits, a Blue Tit, several Magpies, a couple of Black-headed Gulls, 2 Starlings and several Goldfinches. The first Snowdrops were in flower in their usual place.

Snowdrops

Black-headed Gull

 One of my Missing-sector Orb-weavers was running around the kitchen this evening.

Blackcap!

Finally got some shots of the male Blackcap this morning on my neighbour's feeders.

Had a quick visit to St Andrews Park at lunchtime - Black-headed Gull coming into summer plumage was a highlight, also Long-tailed and Blue Tits, a few Blackbirds, a couple of Redwings and several Goldfinches of note.

Black-headed Gull

Blue Tit

Goldfinch

Back in Montpelier, there was an almost-in-flower Lesser Celandine at the top of St Andrews Road!

St Andrews Park!

A dull and dismal afternoon but I was amazed at the number of finches in the park - a flock of at least 50 birds, mostly Goldfinches (but many Chaffinches among them) were flying around the tree-tops. Nearby, half a dozen Redwings and a couple of Blackbirds shared a tree while 3 Black-headed Gulls, 5 Herring Gulls and a Pied Wagtail were on the deck. House Sparrows were feeding busily nearby. Grey Squirrels were very actively stowing away their food for the winter.

Pied Wagtail

House Sparrow

Redwing

Black-headed Gull

Chaffinch

Grey Squirrel

St Andrews Park!

We did a winter walk in the park this morning and saw or heard the following birds:
Goldcrest
Blue Tit
Great Tit
Goldfinch
Redwing
Starling
Blackbird
Woodpigeon
Herring Gull
Black-headed Gull
Pied Wagtail
Dunnock
Robin
Jay
Feral Pigeon
Carrion Crow
Magpie

Pied Wagtail

Non-bird interest was provided by some nice Silverleaf fungus on a dead tree and another as yet unidentified fungus. There were also leafmines on Holm Oak leaves created by the moth Stigmella suberivora.  

Unidentified fungus

Stigmella suberivora

Silverleaf fungus

St Andrews Park!

It was a lovely sunny morning for a stroll around the park. Highlights were a calling Great Spotted Woodpecker, several Goldfinches, a Black-headed Gull and several Herring Gulls and a Pied Wagtail. About 5 Marmalade Hoverflies were basking on leaves near the pond but a rather ill-looking Common Wasp was crawling along the path.

Pied Wagtail

Common Wasp

A goose-stepping Black-headed Gull

Marmalade Hoverfly

Frisky Dunnocks!

This morning in the garden a couple of Dunnocks were doing a little dance so it looks like they are a-courting.

I did my Avon Winter Bird Survey this morning in the Montpelier, St Andrews and St Pauls 1km square. Results were as follows:

Black-headed Gull 3
Herring Gull 15
Feral Pigeon 20
Woodpigeon 18
Collared Dove 5
Magpie 4
Carrion Crow 9
Goldcrest 2
Blue Tit 2
Great Tit 4
Coal Tit 2
Long-tailed Tit 2
Wren 2
Starling 6
Blackbird 5
Robin 7
Dunnock 4
House Sparrow 16
Chaffinch 1
Goldfinch 2

St Andrews Park!

I spent a nice hour or so in the park this afternoon - there was lots of common bird activity including a singing Mistle Thrush, 3 Redwings, 1 male Blackcap, 1 Goldcrest, 15 Long-tailed Tits, 3 Coal Tits, 2 Jays, 5 Chaffinches, 10 Goldfinches, a few Starlings, 5 Blue Tits, 3 Great Tits, a singing Dunnock, 3 Blackbirds, 3 Black-headed Gulls and 2 Herring Gulls.

Herring Gull

Female Blackbird

Blackcap

Blackcap

Black-headed Gull

Long-tailed Tit

Great Tit

In Montpelier Park this morning there was a sub-singing Blackbird, 3 Chaffinches, lots of Woodpigeons and some flowering White Deadnettle. Near the station there were 2 Green Shieldbugs basking in the winter sunshine. There were 5 Chaffinches near the feeders. Interestingly, a combined estimate of Grey Squirrels in Montpelier Park and the station came to about 8!

White Deadnettle

Green Shieldbugs

Avon Winter Bird Survey!

I did the second of two visits for the Avon Winter Bird Survey in Montpelier/St Pauls/St Andrews this morning. The totals were as follows:

Black-headed Gull 1
Lesser Black-backed Gull 3
Herring Gull 4
Feral Pigeon 23
Woodpigeon 13
Collared Dove 6
Magpie 10
Jay 1
Carrion Crow 6
Blue Tit 2
Great Tit 1
Wren 1
Starling 3
Blackbird 3
Redwing 13
Robin 4
House Sparrow 27
Chaffinch 4
Goldfinch 3

At the station the pair of Blackcaps showed well near the feeders.

Blackcap (sadly facing the wrong way)

St Andrews Park

A drizzly stroll around the park at lunchtime produced 1 Mistle Thrush, 3 Redwings, 50 Starlings, 30 Goldfinches, 3 Chaffinches, 2 Pied Wagtails, 10 Herring Gulls, 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull, 1 Black-headed Gull (uncommon in Ashley!) a Jay, Blue and Great Tits, a couple of Robins and 6 Blackbirds.

Redwing

Chaffinch

Herring Gulls

Pied Wagtail

Black-headed Gull

St Andrews Park

Wandered through the park at around lunchtime and saw half a dozen Redwings, a Black-headed Gull, a Herring Gull and lots of Starlings and Goldfinches making a real racket. Frogspawn still evident on the pond. A couple of Green Shieldbugs were out and about near Walsingham Road.

Black-headed Gull

Green Shieldbug

Redwing

Another Green Shieldbug

Frogspawn

At the station there were 2 Blackcaps singing plus Dunnock, Robin, Chaffinch and Great Tit.

Dunnock

Robin

A Coal Tit was singing in Richmond Road,

Narroways

An hour around the reserve this morning before the rain brought proceedings to a close: 1 Grey Wagtail (brook), Wren showed well at Lynmouth Rd, Robin at community garden, 2 Blue Tits and a Great Tit near bench, Black-headed Gull over the hill (local rarity!) also Lesser Black-backed and Herring Gulls flying over, Greenfinch and Chaffinch over cutting, Jay at Simon's Grove.

In Fairlawn Road there was a Magpie and a Blue Tit.

Magpie

Blue Tit

St Andrews Park

The Fieldfare was seen again this morning and 2 Black-headed Gulls were notable along with a Herring Gull, 10 Greenfinches, half a dozen Goldfinches and a couple of singing Chaffinches.

Fieldfare

Black-headed Gull