Wednesday 15 March 2017

Postscript

Further to the Angus post yesterday, I went early to aldersley stadium this morning and was surprised to see a waxing fly up into the trees by the old railway at the far end. This was followed by 2 groups of about ten and all birds departed in the direction of claregate.
Other additions are a pair of grey wagtail around lock 20, two linens at the top of the Lupton field and the singing chiffie by the same lock. All seen both Sunday and today the chiffie being a surprisingly pale buff bird.
Additionally on Sunday we had a woodcock flying along parallel to the railway towards the Lupton field and a very brief view of a kestrel by lock 19.
Some wintering birds lingered into March with a dozen fieldfare at the southern end last Friday and half a dozen redwing by the wetland on Saturday. A very wintry looking little green remained south of Compton to at least the ninth of March.
The bright weather on the 1st had produced a singing blackcap yards from the old bridge, it sang quite well which is unusual but was back to a more normal chunter a few days later. However on Monday it was quite loud from the station laurel, we assume this is a wintering bird testing its vocal chords before heading off to its breeding grounds in central Europe.
Finally Saturday afternoon gave me an encounter with a presumed goshawk which flew across my view as I was checking out a perched buzzard. The bird perched twice and generally only showed rear views but I was able to study its head and see two clear eyestripes of a rather off white colour. The tail was very dark and contrasted with the blue grey back.  I did not get a view of the underparts which would have clinched it but dont see what else it could have been.

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