Woke up on the alarm, and seeing the bright sunshine outside was tempted to check out the local area before work.. Copse south of house was full of common bird activity. Unbelievably, two dog walkers had beaten me into the copse, this was at 6:45am! Best of the bunch was Green Woodpecker, Sparrowhawk, Buzzard, plenty of Goldcrests and a Coal Tit. I'm hoping this wood does a bit better in the coming months and attracts a few Warblers and migrants, seems fairly stagnant at the moment with few surprises. Did however, find a good spot to put up a woodland feeder next winter, which might attract the birds into a smaller area.
Followed this with a quick drive to the Lapwing Field off the A27, but only Black Headed Gulls and a couple of Stock Doves there this morning.
Returned home via Hoe Lane.. The feeder is still very popular with Blue and Great Tits, plus a Grey Squirrel doing his best to dismantle the thing.. Need a bigger and stronger feeder next year! Also, plenty of Chaffinches on the Pheasant Cover, and 3 Skylarks in the area. Further down the lane, 356 Fieldfares was a good total, together with about 100 Starlings and 5 Buzzards.
Would like to set up 3 feeding stations next winter. Hoe Lane seems like a good location as there is plenty of farmland, and Pheasant cover that I can scan at the same time, and the Copse south of the house is also easy to get to, which is essential I guess to ensure I can frequently top up the feeders (This is more dense Woodland). Not decided on my 3rd, but maybe somewhere in or around Emer Bog would attract a wider range of species. Hopefully I'll bump into the local birders in the coming months, and see what they think.
Hope to go a bit further afield on my next two mornings out: Lower Test Marshes should give me some variety from the farmland and woodland which I'm starting to find fairly heavy going! Would also like to check out the Downs north of Romsey. Hopefully find some hilly areas with potential for migrants. Ring Ouzel, Redstart, Spotted Flycatchers etc.
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