Date: 17th January 2021
Time: from 9:15 a.m.
Weather: dry, sunny, light wind, 3°C
to 5°C
It was a beautiful sunny
morning for my visit but for some reason it was initially slow going in respect
of wildlife sightings. Fortunately it got better as my visit progressed.
I accessed the site as usual via
the track from Larkins Tyres which is even wetter and even muddier after the recent
rain! Result: extremely muddy boots and trousers!
I added 3 more species to my year
site list this morning: Dunnock (heard singing but not seen), a single Starling
and a single Lesser Black-backed Gull associating with a fly-over group
of c.10 Herring Gulls.
After carefully negotiating the track
from Larkins Tyres to the wooded clearing, I then took the short track to the
edge of the woodland to the fence overlooking the field and scrub at the
northern edge of the site in the hope of seeing Red Fox given that this
has been the most reliable location in recent weeks. Yet again, my visit failed
to produce a Red Fox sighting and I have yet to see a single animal in
2021 to date.
However, this watchpoint did
produce the remarkable sighting of a large female Sparrowhawk rapidly pursuing
a Woodpigeon and causing general panic amongst the other Woodpigeons
in the area. From this location, I also saw a Green Woodpecker and 2 roving
groups each of c.10 Long-tailed Tits.
My recent visits to the site
have produced up to c.30 Redwings in the western section of the cemetery
where they have been very active flying to and fro between the trees and a berry-bearing
Holly bush. As I reached this area this morning, there was no sight or sound of any Redwings
and the reason quickly became apparent: they have stripped the Holly bush
almost bare and have consequently moved on to another location to feed. However, I did
see 2 Redwings during my visit, both flying across the scrub and hedge
area behind Larkins Tyres.
The only other notable record
was a distantly calling Great Spotted Woodpecker as I walked back down
Church Hill towards Laindon Park school.
With regard to mammals, Grey Squirrels were
again very evident this morning with 6 animals seen: 4 along the track from
Larkins Tyres with 3 engaging in a lot of chasing and vocalisation (possibly 2
males pursuing a female given that pre-breeding activity is well underway), 1
in the trees bordering the field/scrubland
area to the north of the site and 1 in the trees opposite Laindon
Park school.
Although it is still January and very cold,
there was a sign of spring this morning: a single daffodil around one of the
graves in front of the church.
Species recorded during this visit were as
follows (heard only records in italics):
Great Tit
Long-tailed Tit
Grey Squirrel
Here are some photos from my visit:
Photo: Long-tailed Tit
Photo: Long-tailed Tit
Photo: Blue Tit
Photo: Great Tit
Photo: Robin
Photo: Robin
Photo: Robin
Photo: Grey Squirrel
Photo: Grey Squirrel
Mammals = 6 (1)
Butterflies = 21 (0)
Dragonflies and damselflies = 7 (0)
Reptiles = 1 (0)
Amphibians = 0 (0)
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