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The past week has produced some interesting
sightings. The first was another appearance of a kingfisher on the Went. These birds seem
to change their habits. There are spells when I see them regularly on certain stretches of
the river but at other times they are harder to find. I have also seen a single cormorant
flying over the school During the winter months, it is quite easy to find goldcrests in the school grounds. In recent days, I have watched a number of these in Great Garden. The one pictured was initially sketched as it fed on the edge of the orchard. The goldcrests that I have seen recently have often been in pairs and have, at times, made quite a lot of noise as they have chased each other around. On the 20th, a group of fieldfares that had previously been sitting quietly in a hedge suddenly began to make a noise, sounding quite agitated. A few seconds later, a female sparrowhawk appeared from behind the hedge and flew overhead, pursued by two fieldfares. The fieldfares are making good use of the abundance of berries in our hedgerows after their journey from the north but they will have to remain alert if they are to avoid being on someone else's menu. Sparrowhawks often hunt around the grounds and I have, in the past, seen a female sparrowhawk carrying a stock dove, showing that they could easily cope with something the size of a fieldfare. |
early one morning. These birds are now
quite numerous on the local reservoirs so it is not too surprising that we should see them
over Ackworth.