Firstly, for 15 minutes from 7:30 a.m., I heard a “barking” Reeves' Muntjac in the scrubland/woodland between my flat and St. Nicholas Church. I have heard this species before in the woodland surrounding the graveyard and seen just a single individual in the graveyard itself. However, they are present and seen fairly regularly according to a member of the Facebook group for the Gloucester Park Community Group and a dog walker that I spoke to a few weeks ago.
Reeves' Muntjac is a small, hump-backed deer species (a bit larger than a fox) native to south east China. It is named after British naturalist and employee of the East India Company, John Russell Reeves (1774 to 1856). Reeves came across them when he lived in China and sent specimens back to England. Introduced to Woburn Park in Bedfordshire in 1894, it was deliberately released into surrounding woodlands from 1901 onward. Releases, translocations and escapes from the 1930s onwards resulted in wide establishment in south east England and the population is still increasing and spreading across the UK. The Reeves' Muntjac can be found in deciduous woodland with a good understorey plus hedgerows, gardens, parks, conifer plantations, railway embankments, etc.
Secondly, I saw my first Swift of 2020 taking my UK 2020 year list to 149. This is the fifth addition to my 2020 year list after restricting my birding to my 3 sites close to home. It follows Blackcap in the area around St. Nicholas Church, Grey Wagtail at Gloucester Park, Lesser Whitethroat at Noak Bridge Nature Reserve and Common Tern at Gloucester Park. I was watching a Sparrowhawk soaring distantly and very high on a thermal at 9:10 a.m. when a single Swift came in to view.
I also saw another Sparrowhawk at 9:45 a.m. as it passed through with its characteristic "flap-flap-glide" flight.
Finally, I heard but did not see fly-over Canada Geese and Greylag Geese. I have seen both these species before from my flat window but these are the first records since I started recording from my lockdown window.
I recorded the following species today (heard only records in italics):
Swift
Blue Tit
Blackbird
Sparrowhawk
Woodpigeon
Magpie
Carrion Crow
Herring Gull
Lesser Black-backed Gull
Canada Goose
Greylag Goose
Reeves' Muntjac
💚🦆 🦉 🌼 🌳💚
Stay safe, stay well, stay strong, stay connected with nature
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