Friday, 14 March 2025

Visit to St. Nicholas Church and surrounding areas – 14th March 2025

Date: 14th March 2025

Time: from 7:45 a.m.

Weather: dry, sunny/cloudy, light wind, 1°C to 3°C

It was again a very cold morning for my latest visit to the site.

I added another species to my site list for 2025 taking it to 34 speciesGrey Heron (a single bird seen flying over the paddock in the northern section of the site and the same bird or another seen later flying out of the pond in the northern section of the site).

I heard my first 2 singing male Chiffchaffs of the year during my visit on 8th March 2025 and heard another singing male during my last visit on 11th March 2025. This morning, I heard 5 singing male Chiffchaffs at various locations across the site and both saw and photographed the individual that I found along the track leading down to the A127.

However, I am still waiting for my first record of Blackcap for the year, having already recorded this species at Noak Bridge Nature Reserve on 9th March 2025.

Whilst Chiffchaffs now seem to be well established as a spring/summer visitor, winter is hanging on given the sight of c.15 Redwings foraging in the leaf litter in the eastern section of the cemetery.

Woodpeckers were again very evident with 2 Green Woodpeckers (1 seen flying over the northern section of the site and another heard calling loudly in the wooded area in the southern section of the site) and 2 Great Spotted Woodpeckers (a “drumming” bird seen again on the spire of the church and another heard excitably calling in the wooded area adjacent to the church).

With regard to mammals, I again saw a Red Fox in the paddock in the northern section of the site but the tall grass here does make getting any photos somewhat challenging! I also saw a single Grey Squirrel in the wooded area adjacent to the access track from Larkins Tyres.

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

Chiffchaff

Blue Tit
Great Tit
Long-tailed Tit
Robin
Wren
Dunnock
Redwing
Song Thrush
Blackbird
Green Woodpecker
Great Spotted Woodpecker
Jay
Magpie
Carrion Crow
Woodpigeon
Grey Heron
Lesser Black-backed Gull
Herring Gull

Red Fox

Grey Squirrel

Here are some photos from my visit ….
















Photo: Red Fox

Photo: Red Fox

















Photo: Grey Heron
















Photo: Grey Heron
















Photo: Chiffchaff
















Photo: Chiffchaff
















Photo: Great Spotted Woodpecker

Photo: Great Spotted Woodpecker

















Photo: Jay
















Photo: Robin
















Photo: Robin
















Photo: Robin


































Site totals for 2025 to date (2024 totals in brackets):

Birds = 34 (49)

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

Total species list for the site

Birds = 69

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

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