Thursday, 24 October 2024

Visit to St. Nicholas Church and surrounding areas – 24th October 2024

Date: 24th October 2024

Time: from 8:45 a.m.

Weather: dry, sunny, light wind, 10°C to 11°C

I had an exceptionally good visit on a lovely sunny autumn morning with 18 bird species (untypically high for autumn) recorded.

This included 2 further species added to my 2024 site list, taking the total to 45 species, namely Grey Heron (a single bird seen flying through the northern section of the site in an easterly direction) and Ring-necked Parakeet (a single bird flying over the northern section of the site followed later by 2 groups of 3 and 4 birds although there may have been some duplication).

On 4th October 2024, I both heard and saw fly-over Skylarks, my only records since my first back in 2022. However, I recorded this species again on 11th October 2024 and again this morning, firstly with a “heard only” record but later followed by a single bird seen flying south.

On 4th October 2024, I recorded my first site record of the year of Goldcrest but this was an unseen briefly singing male. This morning I saw a calling and actively foraging bird in the wooded area close to the boundary fence to the northern section of the site. Later I saw and photographed another in bushes by the entrance to the footpath heading down to the A127 and heard 3 more calling birds in the wooded area adjacent to this footpath. The Merlin app on my phone also claimed to pick up a calling Firecrest along this footpath. I neither heard nor saw this species but it is a location where I have had my only record to date in 2023.   

Other highlights included 7 fly-over Redwings (plus several others heard calling), a single Great Spotted Woodpecker and 3 fly-over Jackdaws, all seen in the northern section of the site.

Woodpigeon is a species that I record on almost every visit but this morning’s visit was notable for the sight of 2 large flocks of this species heading south and comprising at least 200 birds.

With regard to mammals, I saw 2 or possibly 3 Red Foxes. Initially, I saw a single animal in the wooded clearing at the end of the access track from Larkins Tyres. I then saw another single animal repeatedly running and pouncing in the centre of the first field in the northern section of the site (presumably hunting mice or voles) before it joined another by the hedge at the boundary of the field. These 2 Red Foxes interacted in a friendly manner and were clearly either a paired dog and vixen or more likely 2 sub-adult cubs from this year.  

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

Skylark

Goldcrest
Blue Tit
Great Tit
Long-tailed Tit
Robin
Dunnock
Wren
Redwing
Blackbird
Ring-necked Parakeet
Great Spotted Woodpecker
Jay
Jackdaw
Magpie
Carrion Crow
Woodpigeon
Grey Heron

Red Fox

Here are some photos from my visit ….
















Photo: Red Fox

Photo: Red Fox

















Photo: Red Foxes

















Photo: Goldcrest
















Photo: Great Spotted Woodpecker
















Site totals for 2024 to date (2023 totals in brackets):

Birds = 45 (47)

Mammals = 3 (3)
Butterflies = 17 (23)
Dragonflies and damselflies = 11 (12)
Reptiles = 0 (0)
Amphibians = 0 (0)

Total species list for the site

Birds = 65

Mammals = 7
Butterflies = 25
Dragonflies and damselflies = 14
Reptiles = 1
Amphibians = 0

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