Wednesday, 20 November 2024

Visit to St. Nicholas Church and surrounding areas – 20th November 2024

Date: 20th November 2024

Time: from 8:45 a.m.

Weather: dry, sunny/cloudy, light wind, -1°C to 2°C

It was definitely the coldest day of the autumn/winter so far for my visit to the site this morning, albeit mostly sunny.

It proved to be an excellent visit with several bird highlights.

Firstly, I added another species to my 2024 site list, a fly-over calling but unseen Grey Wagtail, taking the total to 48 species, my highest ever annual total. 

Secondly, I had my first record of Fieldfare of the autumn/winter with c.25 birds seen flying over the northern section of the site.

Other highlights included 6 Redwings in the northern section of the site and at least c.20 in the western section of the cemetery flying between different bushes, a single relatively confiding Green Woodpecker seen feeding in the western section of the cemetery and another calling from near the church, 4 Great Spotted Woodpeckers (1 seen flying over the northern section of the site, 2 more birds seen in the wooded area adjacent to the footpath heading down to the A127 and another heard calling in the wooded area of the southern section of the site on my way home), a single Goldcrest heard calling in the wooded area down Hilly Road from the church and a single Cormorant and a single Jackdaw flying over the northern section of the site.

With regard to mammals, I saw just a single Grey Squirrel in the wooded area in the southern section of the site.

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

Goldcrest

Blue Tit
Great Tit
Robin
Dunnock
Starling
Fieldfare
Redwing
Blackbird
Grey Wagtail
Green Woodpecker
Great Spotted Woodpecker
Jackdaw
Jay
Magpie
Carrion Crow
Woodpigeon
Cormorant
Herring Gull
Lesser Black-backed Gull

Grey Squirrel

Here are some photos from my visit ….

















Photo: Green Woodpecker
















Photo: Green Woodpecker

Photo: Redwing

















Photo: Jay
















Photo: Jay

















Photo: Cormorant
















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

Birds = 48 (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 = 66

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

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