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Much of the plant life in the grounds now looks quite dead but this is compensated for by the ease with which animals, particularly birds, can be seen. Foraging groups of long-tailed tits can often be heard and these help with the location of other species. Treecreeper is a
species often seen during the winter months and I found
the first of these on the 30th November in trees at the
end of the cricket field. It Several days ago, an immature grey wagtail was seen strutting around on the mossy roof of a small building on Back Lane. I presume that this is the individual first mentioned on the 17th November. The behaviour of the bird is quite unusual as this species is normally seen on the banks of the Went, close to the water. It will be interesting to see how long it stays with us. Sparrowhawks have been easy to spot recently and I have had several sightings, usually of females, which prefer more open areas. The most infuriating sighting was only two days ago when a female flew from the shrubbery and settled in an oak on the edge of the cricket field. This happened when I was not carrying binoculars, so I missed a chance to get a good view of a stationary sparrowhawk. |
was feeding with other small birds in some
dense bushes but it paused briefly on a twig in an open
position. The white flanks of the bird were the most
conspicuous identifying feature, apart from its general
behaviour.