A brief visit to Salford Priors GP this morning as it kept raining, getting wet doesn't bother me but trying to look through rain splattered binoculars and telescope is something my patience will only take for so long.....
I arrived on site about 08:00, parked in the usual spot on the corner and climbing over the earth mound, I could already hear gunshot but couldn't see anybody out shooting in the vicinity, Ragley is quite a large estate with a number of shooting areas from what I can see.
I didn't walk down the narrow path as the ground is covered in low brambles which I kept tripping on during my last visit, I decided to walk along the field margin for a change. The field contained the usual Carrion Crow, Jackdaw, Pheasant and Red-legged Partridge. A medium size bird then shot up about 5 meters in front of me, flew low over the scrub and into the wood - gone.... My initial thought was female Merlin, certainly flew like one and was of brownish colouring but it was a fleeting glimpse at best.
I had a quick scan between the blind and hedgerow, always a lot of Pheasant and RL Partridge, there was a good handful of Blackbird and a single Redwing. A small finch like bird was in the top of the oak tree but I couldn't make it out with the binos, as I got the scope onto it, off it went... a female Yellowhammer.
I had a quick scan of the woodland which contained a small number of Long-tailed Tit, Blue Tit, Great Tit and a Green Woodpecker, I decided to put the possible Merlin down to this, about the right size and flew up of the floor...?
I scanned over the Main Pit, nothing out of the ordinary. I counted 67 Mallard, 47 Coot, 22 Tufted Duck, 10 Teal and 4 Little Grebe. There was a single female Reed Bunting and a Dunnock in full song. I walked up to the Little Owl tree but he wasn't there, hoping he's still around although the area looks more flattened that last weekend, I wonder if I'm going to be able to get a full year out of this site before it's all crops again...
The skies opened up so I headed back to the car, a Jack Snipe was flushed as I passed the Main Pit.
I stopped at Pophills and had a quick scan, it yielded 16 Coot, 24 Mallard, 3 Tufted Duck, 2 Little Grebe and 27 each of Canada Goose and Greylag Goose. There were hundreds of Woodpigeon with a lot of Carrion Crow and Jackdaw in tow in the fields to the rear of Pophills, the small trees held 3 Buzzard between them. I found the Common Sandpiper on the small island/spit again.
So nothing exciting although when I got home I was treated to some cracking views of a beefy male Greenfinch on the sunflower feeder, he looked nice and healthy and is the first in the garden this year and for some time.
The Greenfinch puts me on 101 for January/year list and 47sp for 48 points for PWC2015.
Time to take the wife out for a run now, training her to complete a half marathon, still early days but up to 6 miles today.
2016 Year List
2016 Year List (UK:137) (Total:165):
Key: Bold = Lifer. Red = Overseas Bold Red (Work it out!)
Starling, House Sparrow, Mallard, Eider, Pheasant, Red-throated Diver, Northern Fulmar, Raven, Carrion Crow, Hooded Crow, Rook, Jackdaw, Blackbird, Robin, Rock Pipit, Rock Dove, Black Guillemot, Kittiwake, Great Black-backed Gull, Herring Gull, Black-headed Gull, Common Gull, Curlew, Redshank, Lapwing, Oystercatcher, Gannet, Shag, Tufted Duck, Common Goldeneye, Eurasian Teal, Eurasian Widgeon, Mute Swan, Whooper Swan, Greylag Goose, Little Grebe, Cormorant, Grey Heron, Greenland White-fronted Goose, Great Northern Diver, Common Buzzard, Common Kestrel, Purple Sandpiper, Collard Dove, Redwing, Fieldfare, Chaffinch, Linnet, Goldfinch, Greenfinch, Red Kite, Wood Pigeon, Pied Wagtail, Dunnock, Great Tit, Blue Tit, Coal Tit, Lesser Black-backed Gull, Magpie, Lesser Redpoll, Bullfinch, Egyptian Goose, Northern Shovelar, Great Crested Grebe, Bittern, Moorhen, Coot, Ring-necked Parakeet, Stonechat, Cetti's Warbler, Wren, Canada Goose, Pintail, Pochard, Green Woodpecker, Chiffchaff, Goldcrest, Jay, Siskin, Gadwall, Peregrine Falcon, Long-tailed Tit, Meadow Pipit, Red-legged Partridge, Treecreeper, Shelduck, Grey Wagtail, Song Thrush, Kingfisher, Penduline Tit, Marsh Tit, Nuthatch, Cattle Egret, Little Egret, Common Sandpiper, Sandwich Tern, Sardinian Warbler, Audouin's Gull, Osprey, White Wagtail, Black Redstart, Yellow-legged Gull, Blackcap, Great Egret, Marsh Harrier, Water Rail, Stone Curlew, Green Sandpiper, Serin, Common Crossbill, Reed Bunting, Blue Rock Thrush, Crag Martin, Booted Eagle, Kentish Plover, Greater Flamingo, Moustached Warbler, Purple Swamphen, Pied Avocet, Greenshank, Pink-footed Goose, Long-eared Owl, Tawny Owl, Barn Owl, Grey Partridge, Ringed Plover, Dunlin, Black-tailed Godwit, Ruff, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Skylark, Mistle Thrush, Lapland Bunting, Dark-bellied Brent Goose, Golden Pheasant, Common Snipe, Black Grouse, Red Grouse, Wheatear, Dipper, Yellowhammer, Sand Martin, Swallow, House Martin, Goosander, Velvet Scoter, Common Scoter, Common Guillemot, Razorbill, King Eider, Whimbrel, Snow Bunting, Capercaillie, Red-breasted Merganser, Slavonian Grebe, Rock Ptarmigan, Crested Tit, Scottish Crossbill, Black-throated Diver, White-tailed Eagle, Golden Eagle, Bar-tailed Godwit, Great Skua, Puffin, Red-crested Pochard
Key: Bold = Lifer. Red = Overseas Bold Red (Work it out!)
Starling, House Sparrow, Mallard, Eider, Pheasant, Red-throated Diver, Northern Fulmar, Raven, Carrion Crow, Hooded Crow, Rook, Jackdaw, Blackbird, Robin, Rock Pipit, Rock Dove, Black Guillemot, Kittiwake, Great Black-backed Gull, Herring Gull, Black-headed Gull, Common Gull, Curlew, Redshank, Lapwing, Oystercatcher, Gannet, Shag, Tufted Duck, Common Goldeneye, Eurasian Teal, Eurasian Widgeon, Mute Swan, Whooper Swan, Greylag Goose, Little Grebe, Cormorant, Grey Heron, Greenland White-fronted Goose, Great Northern Diver, Common Buzzard, Common Kestrel, Purple Sandpiper, Collard Dove, Redwing, Fieldfare, Chaffinch, Linnet, Goldfinch, Greenfinch, Red Kite, Wood Pigeon, Pied Wagtail, Dunnock, Great Tit, Blue Tit, Coal Tit, Lesser Black-backed Gull, Magpie, Lesser Redpoll, Bullfinch, Egyptian Goose, Northern Shovelar, Great Crested Grebe, Bittern, Moorhen, Coot, Ring-necked Parakeet, Stonechat, Cetti's Warbler, Wren, Canada Goose, Pintail, Pochard, Green Woodpecker, Chiffchaff, Goldcrest, Jay, Siskin, Gadwall, Peregrine Falcon, Long-tailed Tit, Meadow Pipit, Red-legged Partridge, Treecreeper, Shelduck, Grey Wagtail, Song Thrush, Kingfisher, Penduline Tit, Marsh Tit, Nuthatch, Cattle Egret, Little Egret, Common Sandpiper, Sandwich Tern, Sardinian Warbler, Audouin's Gull, Osprey, White Wagtail, Black Redstart, Yellow-legged Gull, Blackcap, Great Egret, Marsh Harrier, Water Rail, Stone Curlew, Green Sandpiper, Serin, Common Crossbill, Reed Bunting, Blue Rock Thrush, Crag Martin, Booted Eagle, Kentish Plover, Greater Flamingo, Moustached Warbler, Purple Swamphen, Pied Avocet, Greenshank, Pink-footed Goose, Long-eared Owl, Tawny Owl, Barn Owl, Grey Partridge, Ringed Plover, Dunlin, Black-tailed Godwit, Ruff, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Skylark, Mistle Thrush, Lapland Bunting, Dark-bellied Brent Goose, Golden Pheasant, Common Snipe, Black Grouse, Red Grouse, Wheatear, Dipper, Yellowhammer, Sand Martin, Swallow, House Martin, Goosander, Velvet Scoter, Common Scoter, Common Guillemot, Razorbill, King Eider, Whimbrel, Snow Bunting, Capercaillie, Red-breasted Merganser, Slavonian Grebe, Rock Ptarmigan, Crested Tit, Scottish Crossbill, Black-throated Diver, White-tailed Eagle, Golden Eagle, Bar-tailed Godwit, Great Skua, Puffin, Red-crested Pochard
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