Sunday 2 February 2014

Carlton Marsh

Little Owl again this morning along with 2 Sparrowhawks, c100 Fieldfares and 2 Siskins. (Rod Heeley)

The stubble-field to the east of the reserve to the human eye looks bereft of anything edible, but throughout the winter months this field has sustained varying numbers of larks and buntings. Today it was estimated that 100 Skylarks and a similar number of Yellowhammers were feeding there. (Jim Plant) They move away in the middle of the afternoon to roost at an unknown destination. Yellowhammers have been known to roost in stands of Hawthorn on the reserve, but one can only assume that Skylarks  roost on nearby pastoral land. In the days when Meadow Pipit and Corn Bunting were more abundant, Keith Bannister and I once found a roost of around 200 of both species roosting in rough grass on the reserve in early March.

Fieldfares enjoying the mild conditions

Cudworth Sewage Works
25 Pied Wagtails were feeding on and around the sprinklers and a Treecreeper was amongst a Tit flock in Larches. A buzzard and 25 Fieldfares were seen near Storrs Mill.(Chris Parkin)

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