SS15 wildlife watching: Visit to St. Nicholas Church and surrounding areas

Monday, 3 October 2022

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

Date: 3rd October 2022

Time: from 7:45 a.m.

Weather: dry, cloudy/bright/sunny, light wind, 8°C to 12°C

This was my first visit to the site since 12th September 2022.

My visit started extremely slowly with very few sightings but my patience and perseverance were rewarded with one of my best visits for some time.

Firstly, I added a new record to my site list. Whilst I was sitting in the western section of the cemetery photographing a Green Woodpecker (more on this below), I heard the sound of calling Skylarks. As I looked up, I saw 3 birds flying over in an easterly direction. This remarkable and totally unexpected sighting took my site list for birds to 59 species and the total for 2022 to date to 43 species.

I had several other notable sightings during my visit.

Whilst I was watching from the viewpoint overlooking the field, scrub and wooded area in the north of the site, I had a very brief glimpse of a bird flying very rapidly over the field before disappearing out of view before I could get my binoculars on to it. I suspected that this was a Sparrowhawk. Later during my visit, I had a definite sighting of a Sparrowhawk as one drifted slowly high over the church.

There was at least one Chiffchaff remaining on site which I heard briefly contact calling in the central section of the cemetery. Unlike my last visit when I heard several calling and even one singing, this may now be the only Chiffchaff that has not yet migrated south following the breeding season. Perhaps it will over-winter as is increasingly the case with this species in the UK due to the mild conditions.

Again, whilst in the western section of the cemetery photographing a Green Woodpecker, I heard and then saw a fly-over Pied Wagtail which is a species that I have only recorded on a few occasions.

So…. Green Woodpeckers. I had many sightings today, starting with a bird flying off the ground and away in the area of scrub behind Larkins Tyres. I then heard a calling bird in the woodland beyond the western section of the cemetery and also saw a bird here later during my visit. However, I had several excellent sightings of what I presume was the same Green Woodpecker in the western section of the cemetery, either flying or feeding on the ground, and I was able to get a few photos.

I also heard a calling Great Spotted Woodpecker twice but very distantly from the church.

Given the huge abundance of fallen acorns this autumn, unlike last year, it was no surprise that Jays were very conspicuous and I had numerous sightings throughout my visit.

With regard to mammals, I had 2 sightings of what were probably 2 different Red Foxes, the first a very brief view of an animal crossing the grassy strip leading down from the church car park to St. Nicholas Lane and a longer view of another which emerged from the woodland in to the eastern section of the cemetery. I managed to get a photo of this second Red Fox.

In addition, I saw a single Reeves’ Muntjac in the western section of the cemetery which unfortunately ran off very quickly before I was able to get a photo and 5 Grey Squirrels, 2 in the trees along the access track from Larkins Tyres, 2 in the eastern section of the cemetery and another feeding on the ground around the church.

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

Skylark

Chiffchaff

Blue Tit

Great Tit

Long-tailed Tit

Robin

Blackbird

Song Thrush

Pied Wagtail

Sparrowhawk

Green Woodpecker