Friday, 3 June 2022

Visit to St. Nicholas Church and surrounding areas – 3rd June 2022

Date: 3rd June 2022

Time: from 5:30 a.m.

Weather: dry, sunny, light wind, 12°C to 14°C

Shortly after leaving home, I saw a Red Fox in the front car park of the flats in Basildon Road, a very easy sighting given what followed.

My last visit to St. Nicholas Church and the surrounding areas was on 22nd May 2022. In just a few weeks, the whole area has become particularly lush and green with the wonderful oak trees in full leaf and a rich growth of wild plants, flowers and grasses.

It was an excellent 3.5 hour visit this morning with 28 bird species recorded, the highest on a single visit this year, plus 3 mammal species.

The 28 bird species included a new site record, a single Moorhen in the small pond in the north of the site, bringing my total number of species recorded to 58.

In addition, I saw my first Swifts of the year, a single bird heard and then briefly seen flying around the church followed later by 3 birds that I was able to watch for 10 minutes and photograph with some difficulty. Together with the Moorhen, this increased my list for the site for 2022 to 41 species.

I also had several other notable sightings: Common Buzzard (a single bird seen flying off from a bush in the field in the north of the site), Green Woodpecker (1 heard calling several times near the church and 1 seen and photographed in the western section of the cemetery), Great Spotted Woodpecker (1 heard calling several times near the church), Common Whitethroat (1 singing male along the track from Larkins Tyres and another very mobile singing male in the western section of the cemetery), Blackcap (a male and female with a juvenile along the track from Larkins Tyres plus 2 alarm calling birds and at least 5 singing males heard but unseen), Chiffchaff (2 singing males seen and at least 3 others heard), Stock Dove (a calling bird in the north of the site) and Greenfinch (a distantly calling male in the scrub behind Larkins Tyres).

Although, yet again, I failed to get any photos of a Common Buzzard at the site, at least this individual did leave behind a souvenir.















Photo: Common Buzzard feather

It proved to be a very good gull morning. I usually record Herring Gull during most of my visits plus Lesser Black-backed Gull on a reasonably regular basis. Black-headed Gull is much rarer with only a few single birds recorded each year. This morning I saw all 3 gull species including 5 Black-headed Gulls.

After the initial sighting of a Red Fox before I started my visit, I then had very brief views of 3 animals, or possibly the same individual, in the western section of the cemetery, at the edge of the church car park and immediately behind the church. Frustratingly, I failed to get any photos. However, my patience was rewarded eventually with 2 photos of a Red Fox as it moved through the western section of the cemetery.  

One of the main reasons for the very early start to my visit was to try and locate some Red Fox cubs. I failed to do that or see an adult carrying food to a possible den site.

Finally, I heard a “barking” Reeves’ Muntjac at the end of the track from Larkins Tyres and saw and photographed a Grey Squirrel in the western section of the cemetery.

Species recorded during this visit were as follows (heard only records in italics):

Swift
Common Whitethroat
Blackcap
Chiffchaff
Blue Tit
Great Tit
Long-tailed Tit
Robin
Dunnock
Wren
House Sparrow
Starling
Blackbird
Song Thrush
Greenfinch
Common Buzzard
Green Woodpecker
Great Spotted Woodpecker
Jay
Magpie
Carrion Crow
Woodpigeon
Collared Dove
Moorhen
Black-headed Gull
Lesser Black-backed Gull
Herring Gull

Red Fox
Reeves' Muntjac
Grey Squirrel

Here are some photos from my visit:















Photo: Red Fox
















Photo: Red Fox















PhotoGrey Squirrel















Photo: Swift















Photo: Chiffchaff




























Photo: Chiffchaff




























Photo: Chiffchaff




























Photo: Chiffchaff




























Photo: Chiffchaff




























Photo: Green Woodpecker




























Photo: Green Woodpecker




























Photo: Blackbird




























Photo: Dunnock




























Photo: Robin




























Photo: juvenile Blue Tit




























Photo: Carrion Crows




























Photo: Collared Dove




























Photo: Collared Dove




























Photo: Woodpigeon




























Photo: Lesser Black-backed Gull




























Photo: Lesser Black-backed Gull




























Photo: Lesser Black-backed Gull




























Photo: Herring Gull




























































Site totals to date (2022 totals in brackets):

Birds = 58  (41)
Mammals = 6  (3)
Butterflies = 21  (2)
Dragonflies and damselflies = 7  (0)
Reptiles = 1  (0)
Amphibians = 0  (0)

Slava Ukraini! …. Glory to Ukraine!

💚🦆 🦉🦋🐝🦊🦡🌼 🌳💚
Stay safe, stay well, stay strong, stay connected with nature

No comments:

Post a Comment

If you feel like commenting on my blog, you can contact me by completing the comment form below. I will respond to all comments and enquiries and constructive criticism will always be welcomed.