Montpelier Station

Highlights today included a Jay, a Coal Tit on the feeders and a male Blackcap, the latter bursting into song off and on. Yesterday a Greenfinch was doing its bat-like song display over the station.

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

St Pauls Park

Not much to get excited about this morning - 2 singing Greenfinches, a couple of Goldfinches, a Robin, a Dunnock plus the usual Woodpigeons and Herring Gulls loafing around.

Thrush Hour 2

A Song Thrush singing this morning - heard from the station in the direction of the arches. This is now becoming an annual event to hear a thrush early in the spring from this spot although I never see any evidence of breeding. Still great to hear though. Also a Blackcap singing at the station plus the usual Chaffinches plus a singing Dunnock of note.

Dunnock

A Blackbird in song in Picton Street early evening, and a Vixen screaming on the railway near Fairlawn Road at 10.15pm.

St Andrews Park

Today's monthly bird walk was very enjoyable - the full list is as follows:
Fieldfare - 1 feeding on the grass
Blackcap - a male showed well as it fed in the bare branches
Blackbird - several seen
Long-tailed Tit - just 1 or 2 seen
Blue Tit - several seen
Great Tit - 1 or 2 heard
Coal Tit - heard and seen
Woodpigeon - a few
Collared Dove - 1 singing
Carrion Crow - a few
Magpie - several noisy birds, possibly prospecting for nest sites
Jay - 1 seen and heard
Greenfinch - a few around, song heard
Chaffinch - 1 or 2, song heard
Goldfinch - several birds
Robin - 1 or 2
Dunnock - at least 3 birds seen
Wren - 1 heard singing near the pond
Starling - several birds

Some good plants were in flower at the top of St Andrews Road today - the Euphorbia that crops up in various places is likely to be a variety of Wood Spurge Euphorbia amygdaloides subsp. robbiae and there was plenty of it along with a couple of Lesser Celandines. The persistant patch of Common Field Speedwell was also in flower.

Probable Euphorbia amygdaloides subsp. robbiae

Common Field Speedwell

Lesser Celandine




St Pauls Park

Birds in the park this morning included a Blackcap, 2 or 3 Blackbirds, a Dunnock, a couple of Greenfinches and some Blue and Great Tits.

A couple of frisky displaying Dunnocks, a Blackbird and 2 Great Tits were in the garden.

Yesterday at the station a Blackcap was singing strongly.

I can't give you any finch but love

The finch flock at the station was particularly impressive this morning with at least 20 Chaffinches plus a few Greenfinches mixed in with them. A male Blackcap was on the feeders. A Jay was seen from the train as it passed through Narroways.

Raven

A Raven over the flat first thing and a male Blackcap at the station this morning.

Blackcaps, Bullfinches and Black-headed Gulls

At least 3 Blackcaps on the patch today - a female in the garden (along with a Blackbird, Dunnock and a party of Great and Blue Tits) and a pair at the station, the male giving brief bursts of song. Also at the station a Bullfinch heard singing but not seen, a Coal Tit, 4 Goldfinches, 5 Greenfinches, several Chaffinches, half a dozen Starlings and a Robin. A gaggle of House Sparrows showed well in St Andrews Road.

Female Blackcap

House Sparrow

A Black-headed Gull was in St Andrews Park - a bit of a rarity on the patch - along with a Herring Gull, a Coal Tit, a single Fieldfare, 15 or so Starlings, several Goldfinches, Chaffinches and Greenfinches and a Pied Wagtail.

Black-headed Gull

Fieldfare (and Greenfinch)

At Fairlawn Road, the Holly tree showed evidence of the Holly Leaf Gall Fly Phytomyza ilicis.

Phytomyza ilicis

St Pauls Park

I was delighted to hear the first Chaffinch song of the year in the park this morning and there was an impressive number of Greenfinches - about 8 I reckon - including some smart males. Also a few Goldfinches, a Dunnock, a Herring Gull, 2 Blue Tits, 3 Blackbirds and a few Woodpigeons.