Bird Watch around Orleton - Results from Spring 2008

Can you help? Please take notes of all the birds you see in your garden from now until March next year. Note the date if something unusual is seen and write a short comment about it. Then send this all in by email before April next year. We will then start our Spring Watch again.

Barbara Mark

Bird Type	Date	Place	Comments
Barn Owl	March April May	Manor grounds SY8 4HR	A pair of Barn Owls hunting over the grass One owl is not seen but the other still hunts. Maybe female sitting on eggs? Both disappear as work begins on Manor grounds
Blackbird	April March April	Croft End SY8 4HZ Goodrest, Brimfield SY8 4NW SY8 4HL SY8 4HW SY8 4HD Orchard View SY8 4HU And SY8 4HL SY8 4NF And Orleton House	Evidence of Nesting Evidence of Nesting. Evidence of nesting 2 pairs nesting Black bird started to build several nests between adjacent rungs of a horizontal stored ladder but abandoned them, then built in a conifer bush, but also abandoned that. Evidence in of Black birds nesting Nest at the bottom of the garden Nesting in Beech hedge Female blackbird seen feeding to two young on lawn 3^rd June
Black Cap	Spring	SY8 4HD And Bower House SY8 4HU	Two hens and one cock seen for some weeks in January and March Evidence of nesting
Blue Tit		Bower House SY8 4HU Goodrest SY8 4NW And SY8 4HW And SY8 4HD And Croft End SY8 4HZ	Evidence of nesting Evidence of nesting 3 pairs nesting in nesting box evidence of nesting
Great Tits	March	Little Overton SY8 4HZ Croft End SY8 4HZ And Bower House SY8 4HU And Goodrest SY8 4NW And SY8 4HW And SY8 4HD And Orchard View SY8 4HU	Nest in muli-nest box, and feeding young in first week of April until around 22^nd May Evidence of nesting Evidence of nesting Evidence of nesting At least one pair nesting Nesting in bird box on house Never seen so many Great tits this year. For the first time in 7 years a pair of Great tits made a nest in the ‘attic’ of the bird table
Coal Tit		Bower House SY8 4HU And SY8 4HW Little Overton Sy8 4HZ	Evidence of nesting Regular visitor to bird feeder No sightings this year
Long Tailed Tit		Little Overton Sy8 4HZ	No sighting this year
Willow Tit		Bower House SY8 4HU	Evidence of nesting
Bullfinch	17^th April	Orchard View SY8 4HU	Seen on the bird table. Not seen before at this time. 1^st May a pair start to visit frequently
Buzzard	Early June	Woodland behind the shop Over Little Overton	Nesting as usual Family circling in thermals, quite normal, but on 7^th June two birds thermal ling then one seen playing in the sky; diving and then recovering. Great fun.
Canada Geese	Spring	The Grange SY8 4HZ	Pair nested on the lake and hatched 5 young Continue to fly out in the morning and back at night Apparently opposite Quarry Farm Shop in Luston there are a large number of Geese, not seen on the pond there before. So many in fact that they are now a nuisance. Are they the ones who used to live on Orleton Manor marsh one wonders.
Collard Dove	Spring	Bower House SY8 4HU And Little Overton SY8 4HZ	Evidence of nesting A pair occasionally seen around
Cuckoo	Spring	SY8 4HD And Orchard View SY8 4HU And Little Overton SY8 4HZ Orleton House	First heard on 30^th April First heard on 30^th April, 11am . First heard 4^th May, a l9ong way off. Not seen this year. Juvenile following a male blackbird for food in early June.
Dunnock		Goodrest SY8 4NW and SY8 4HD	Evidence of nesting Seen daily feeding
Greenfinch		Goodrest SY8 4NW Bower House SY8 4HU And SY8 4HW	Evidence of nesting Evidence of nesting Feeding on the bird feeder
Goldfinches	Spring	SY8 4NF Goodrest SY8 4NW SY8 4HD	Nesting in the purple Acre tree in the front garden Evidence of nesting Despite a nijer seed feeder only a couple of sightings this year. Rather unusual, sad to say. No sightings of Goldfinches now for many, many months. We saw a flock straight after the Manor woodland was cut down, in mid April last year, which we had not seen before.
Goldcrest	April	SY8 4HW	Evidence of nesting
Greater Spotted Woodpecker	Spring	Little Overton Sy8 4HZ And SY8 4HW	Seen on peanuts but not as often as last year Seen feeding regularly at bird feeder
Green Woodpecker	May June	Orchard View SY8 4HU And Little Overton SY8 4HZ	21^st May seen feeding on the lawn, maybe a juvenile one climbing up the telephone pole in the garden on 8^th June. Never seen that before
Hobby	Not seen this year
House Sparrow	March	Little Overton SY8 4HZ And Bower House SY8 4HU And SY8 4HD and SY8 4HN And SY8 4HL and Goodrest SY8 4NW	Seen nest building in a box on house. First observed feeding young on 14^th May. On 7^th June an adult seen going into the box with a feather in beak. Evidence of several nesting Heard in the woodland Seen occasionally Usually eating sunflower hearts but this spring taking meal worms, presumably for young. They wait impatiently for me to put them out then there are about 20 or so at the feeder. Evidence of nesting
Jackdaw	Spring	Bower House SY8 4HU	Maybe nesting in barns
Jay	Spring	SY8 4HN	Seen in the woodland
Kingfisher	No sighting this year
Lesser Spotted Woodpecker	No sighting this year
Magpie	Spring	Little Overton SY8 4HZ Croft End SY8 4HZ And Bower House SY8 4HU And SY8 4HD	Several seen around a lot. Eating hen eggs. A cat seen catching one on 27^th May Many around Maybe nesting in barn Seen around
Mistle Thrush	Spring	Orchard View SY8 4HU And SY8 4HW	Evidence of nesting A pair seen been harassed by Magpies as they collected worms in the first week in May
Moorhens	Spring	Croft End SY8 4HZ	Nesting on the pond
Nightingale	Spring	Bower House SY8 4HU and Orchard View SY8 4HU Little Overton SY8 4HZ	Heard in the ‘jungle’ of Church Cottage Seen in the garden Not seen or heard since the Manor woodland was cut down
Nuthatch	Spring	SY8 4HW And SY8 4HD And SY8 4HL and Goodrest SY8 4NF	2 pairs seen nesting seen sometimes a tatty nuthatch comes most days to the feeder evidence of nesting
Pheasant	Spring	Bower House SY8 4HU And SY8 4HW	Evidence of nesting Disturbed a nest whilst weeding the garden in mid May.
Raven	Spring	Little Overton SY8 4HZ And Bower House SY8 4HU	A pair seen collecting food regularly in May Seen around
Robin	Spring	Little Overton SY8 4HZ And Croft End SY8 4HZ and SY8 4HD	Evidence of nesting in April/May Then seen carrying food in their beaks to a different place early June Evidence of nesting Evidence of nesting
Rooks	Spring	Bower House SY8 4HU	Seen around
Snipe	Not seen or heard this year
Song Thrush	Spring	SY8 4HW And SY8 4HN	Evidence of nesting 30^th April an adult seen feeding young on lawn
Starling	Spring	Little Overton SY8 4HZ	Two nests on opposite sides of the house in the eves. Nest building in March. On 6^th May one nest destroyed by grey squirrels. ( the squirrels have been getting into house and garage roof since the Manor woodland was cut down)
Swan	Spring	Little Overton And The Grange	Some seen flying around
Wren	Spring	Bower House SY8 4HU And SY8 4HW And Croft End SY8 4HZ	Evidence of nesting 3 pairs nesting evidence of nesting
Wood pigeons	Spring	Bower House SY8 4HU And SY8 4HW And Croft End SY8 4HZ	Seen about One pair nesting Evidence of nesting through the Year
	SY8 4HU		Started 27^th November 2007 The following visiting regularly:- Bullfinches, Blue tits, Blackbirds, Dunnocks, Sparrows, Great tits, Robin, Goldfinches, Great Spotted Woodpecker-lesser often, Mistle Thrush; a pair, Long-tailed tits, Song Thrush; a pair, Pigeons , and Rooks. 4^th December Usual crowd PLUS=Simultaneous arrival of 9 Long Tailed tits on the bird table. 8^th December Usual plus Nuthatch. Through December the Long-tailed tits continued to visit in groups of 5 or 6. All through December all the usual plus on 20^th Goldfinches seen feeding from the nut feeder, which was a surprise. Coal tits joined the usual garden birds over Christmas. 2^nd January 2008 A female, or Juvenile ( with brown cap) 7^th January Nuthatch, Siskins and Marsh or Willowtit (not sure which) joined the usual garden birds. 3^rd February A Red Poll was eating the seeds from the herb garden. Also wrens seen. 17^th February Male and female Blackcap joined the usual garden birds. Long tailed tits are regular visitors now. In groups of 5or 6.
	SY8 4HD		The general picture of recent times of bird spp. seen daily in garden and surroundings: great- blue- coal- and long-tail tits, robin, chaffinch, song thrush, dunnock, blackbird, magpie, jackdaw, carrion crow, and ever present that great pest, woodpigeon. Heard but not seen, chiffchaff and woodwarbler. Seen less frequently, bull-finch, nut-hatch, buzzard, tree creeper, house sparrow, collared dove, mistle thrush. Seen for some weeks in Jan-March but not recently: blackcap (two hens, one cock). Seen briefly for some days in Feb-March: siskin. We are puzzled that despite a nijer seed feeder (as well as other food feeders) we have had only brief sightings on two occasions only of goldfinch over many, many, months. Flock of Goldfinches seen straight after the woodland cut down and scrub land flattened. Never seen here before. Flock seen in mid April and never seen here before Seen feeding at the bird table and never seen here before
	SY8 4HR		Kingfisher and Heron seen feeding in small pond inside Manor field in summer 2007. Not seen since shed went up and grass cutting began regularly all round the pond.
	Sy8 4HZ Little Overton		We have many, many fewer birds this year. No Long Tailed or Coal tits, hardly any Blackbirds, or Dunnocks and no sightings of Thrushes or Willow Warblers. No sign of the Nightingale or Kingfisher either which we did see very occasionally. Is this because of the levelling of the woodland and marsh area next door last April we wonder?
	Sy8 4HZ The Grange		Green Woodpecker feeding on grass quite often Black bird numbers have increased