Wow, my 100th entry! In this post:
* Some news from New Forest
* New Bat to garden list.
* Review of 2006!
New Forest:
Spent yesterday with family in the New Forest. Highlights were Marsh Tit, and Mandarin. Which wasn't bad considering the children were well noisy!
Back garden bat watch:
A noctule just after sunset was the latest addition to the bat species in the garden, and overhead. Brings the total up to 5, which is pretty respectable. If the nearby brook retains some water during the summer, then Daubenton's could be possible, and Brown Long Eared Bats are probably in the area, but a devil to see. Any additional species would be unbelivable!
2006 Review:
2006 turned out to be my last year in Milton Keynes, (although I had no idea I would be moving out until November time). We also had our second baby hit the scene in 2005, so sleepless nights, and serious parenting were common throughout the year. Despite a trip to the Scillies in late September this was the lowest total of species I have seen in a year for about 15 years!
However, it was also one of the most enjoyable! I decided to devote much of the year to visiting underwatched and previously unknown sites in the Milton Keynes / North Bucks area. After many evenings studying the OS maps and live local, and going on recces of promising places, I narrowed it down to a shortlist of about 10 sites that were both easy to park the car, and had good habitat. Best finds were Quainton Hill, which immediately stood out as a super place to go birding, and gave me some great North Bucks finds in the first half of the year (Raven, Red Kite, Ring Ousel, Redstart, Spotted Flycatcher, Whimbrel, over 20 Wheatears together). Coincidentally, this site is hitting the headlines this spring with at least 5 Ring Ousels.
My other good find in 2006 was a colony of Corn Buntings that I stumbled across by accident, when checking out another unwatched area. The end of the year, and my last trip out birding in North Bucks, I recorded 56 Corn Buntings, which made the headlines of the North Bucks monthly Bird Report. This was the first time I'd had a sighting in the headlines for many months, and was a really nice way to bow out of the local scene.
2006 I fulfilled a lifelong amibtion and visited the Scillies, with 3 good friends. Although the birding wasn't classic, and we failed to see the rarest of the migrants on offer (Bonelli's Warbler, Ortolan, and Tawny Pipit), we did see a good selection of migrants, and had the bonus of finding our own Wryneck and Hoopoe.
The worst moments of 2006 were a day trip to Little Paxton where we saw nothing and got soaked in a cloudburst about 100 yards from the car! I also had my worst day ever in Norfolk, when the weather changed to a sunny, Westerly wind at the last minute and instead of seeing migrants, along the north norfolk coast, we saw absolutely nothing! 1 Whinchat, and an Arctic Skua about all we had to show for several hours fruitless searching. We saw a Lesser Whitethroat and a few other Warblers at Little Paxton on the return journey, which doubled the day's excitement!
2007, and I'm living in Hampshire, about 15 minutes from the New Forest, 30 minutes from the coast and 1 hour from Portland Bill. There just aren't enough hours in the day to do this area any kind of justice. So far I have enjoyed the local birding, and found Merlin, Woodcock, Stonechat, and Grasshopper Warbler within walking distance of the house. Plus Woodlark, Little Ringed Plover and many breeding Lapwings within a short drive of the house. Spring migration has been a slight non event so far, and after a single early Wheatear at Danebury, I spent a few mornings on the Downs trying to Emulate Quainton Hill! It was not to be unfortunately. Hopefully this was just down to this year's barmy weather causing all the non-breeding migrants to continue over without stopping along the Test Valley! Whatever the reason, I won't be waiting to find out, and my next opportunity I will be heading straight to Portland or Keyhaven!
As for the New Forest: well at this rate, it will take many years for me to become familiar with even a fraction of the forest, but the time I have spent there has been very enjoyable.
Good Birding Everyone! Here's to another 100!
Peter
|
