Christmas shopping tends to get in the way of birding, but managed to divert myself to do a short birdwatch near Templecombe, Somerset, as a report this week of 2 Bewick Swans on a flooded field. Needless to say, on a dull, miserable and bitterly cold day, no swans were located, they'd obviously gone to the pub. After half an hour my fingers stopped working and I headed back to Sherborne to spend some more;
From the lane and a flooded grassland field I'd kindly been given the Grid Ref for; 150+ Winter thrushes, 30 ish Redwing, the rest Fieldfare, 3 Wren, Female Bullfinch, Jay, Male Kestrel plucking at a meal on a post, party of 3, then a seperate party of 5 Long Tail Tit, 2 Robin, dozen or so Blackbird, 6+ Carion Crow, 2 Greenfinch, Lesser Black Backed Gull, 3 juv gulls not ID'd, Magpie, and about 100+ Lapwing put up by male Sparrowhawk which I saw three times crossing over the field, each time lifting the lapwing.
There was also a Willow Warbler type song I heard, which it could not have been being mid winter...but what was it. I'll probably never know.
I thought I'd add this photo of Goldfinches too. In the garden this morning they were all over the place feeding on seed heads. This photo was taken last week. Also in the garden today, 2 Collard Dove, Woodpigeon, 3 Jackdaw, Starling, Wren, Robin, Pied Wagtail, 2 or 3 Chaffinch, 3 Greenfinch. No Rooks today, but the weather looks sunny tomorrow, so I'll see if I can get some corvids on the blog, my favourite family of birds.
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