Date: 21st January 2021
Time: from 11:15 a.m.
Weather: dry, sunny, strong wind, 6°C
to 7°C
After several days of very poor
weather, I was very pleased to see the sun again this morning although the
strong wind associated with “Storm Christoph” was still very evident.
As it was very windy, I did not
take my zoom lens with me as I anticipated that there would be few wildlife photography
opportunities. This proved to be a big mistake as I missed out on photographing
Red Foxes (see below).
As I left home, I noticed that the
sunny weather was again prompting a pair of Magpies to repair and rebuild their
nest located in a tree immediately outside the block of flats where I live …. see
here.
I accessed the site as usual via the
track from Larkins Tyres which is even wetter and even muddier after even more rain!
Result: substantial addition to my already extremely muddy boots and trousers!
I added another species to my year site list this morning: a single fly-over Black-headed Gull. Unlike Lesser Black-backed Gull and especially Herring Gull, this is a species that I only very occasionally see.
Having added Dunnock to my
year site list on my last visit, this morning I was able to upgrade the record
from “heard only” to “seen” when I saw a single bird in the scrubland and
hedges viewed from the Larkins Tyres access track.
This area also provide sightings
of 2 or possibly 3 female Chaffinches (another species that I only very
occasionally see at the site), c.10 Redwings but possibly more given the
number of calls coming from the hedges and c.10 House Sparrows.
This was my 4th visit to the site in 2021 and on the previous 3 visits I failed to see a single Red Fox. However, that surprisingly barren run was broken this morning with sightings of 2 different animals.
Whilst watching the birds mentioned
above, I just happened to glance down the track from Larkins Tyres to see a
large Red Fox (probably a dog/male given the size and head shape)
staring back at me. We watched each other for a minute or so before the Red
Fox calmly walked off the track in to the wooded area.
After following 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. As I arrived at the watchpoint, I saw another Red Fox
at the edge of the field although it quickly disappeared in to the hedge. This
was a much smaller animal (probably a vixen/female) and it clearly had an
injury since it was carrying its right rear leg. A few minutes later it
reappeared and slowly crossed the field before again disappearing in to the
hedge.
I saw just 2 Grey Squirrels
this morning, the first immediately outside Larkins Tyres and the second in the
trees at the edge of the field whilst watching the Red Fox.
Species recorded during this visit were as follows
(heard only records in italics):
Great Tit
Robin
Redwing
Blackbird
Dunnock
House Sparrow
Chaffinch
Goldfinch
Jay
Magpie
Carrion Crow
Woodpigeon
Black-headed Gull
Herring Gull
Grey Squirrel
Here are some photos from my
visit:
Site totals to date (2021 totals in brackets):
Mammals = 6 (2)
Butterflies = 21 (0)
Dragonflies and damselflies = 7 (0)
Reptiles = 1 (0)
Amphibians = 0 (0)
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