I have little positive things to say about new housing developments and their impacts upon wildlife and their habitats, however, a series of ponds created at the Wayland Fields development where rainwater collects has proved beneficial for species, especially passage waders and for hirundines which collect pellets of wet mud for nest building, for drinking, and for hunting insects. The immediate surrounding area is full of knapweed, weeds, and wildflowers, the downside with the development however is the loss of Skylarks, an already threatened species.
 |
| Wayland Fields 7 July 2026 |
As I approached the ponds the most obvious species seen was House Martin with many birds over the ponds, some taking a drink from the surface of the water and others collecting pellets of mud from the wet shore. A single Swallow was seen.
The weedy surrounds of the ponds held many Goldfinches and in time the seed heads of knapweed will provide good feeding for these birds. Also seen on this visit was a number of House Sparrows in weedy areas, some were seen visiting the ponds to drink.
I was about to leave to walk into town when I heard many House Martins alarm calling, I had a pretty good idea what caused this alarm and my suspicions were confirmed when a Hobby appeared over the ponds, the falcon flew over houses for a while before departing over fields. A stunning raptor, this bird showed all the salient features, the contrasting black hood and white facial area, the blue grey upperparts, and white underparts streaked black. What a fantastic bird the Hobby was, a bird capable of high speed and incredible agility in the chase.
No comments:
Post a Comment