This morning I visited Stow Bedon to meet with a lovely couple of friends at their farm in rural Breckland. I arrived quite early so decided to walk a circuit of the area and what I was immediately struck by was the wealth of birdlife from the outset. Firstly, a pair of Cranes were feeding in a field, their occasional calls bouncing off the trees and resonating over the land. Also present was a single Kestrel and a few Fieldfare.
.jpg) |
| Feeding and calling Cranes near Stow Bedon |
The first songbirds seen at the farm was Woodlark where a total of 3 were seen overhead, a pair including a singing male and another singleton. This early hour also produced 2 'drumming' Great Spotted Woodpeckers, a singing Stock Dove, 6+ Greenfinches, and 40+ Collared Doves.
A productive walk around the surrounding area produced 2 Goshawks, the male bird was calling, the female Goshawk, a very large bird, drifted silently behind a Birch wood, looking quite menacing before melting into woodland. This bird certainly deserves its 'Phantom of the Forest' name.
A few Mallard and Teal urgently flew into the cover of woodland carr, their behaviour suggesting a Harrier species in the area, and indeed, a female Marsh Harrier appeared and passed overhead. In a mature Oak wood a pair of noisy Marsh Tits were foraging.
Back at the farm, Finch species seen included Chaffinch, a few Greenfinches and a stunning male Brambling. Collared Doves were once again numerous with 50+ birds present. Whilst enjoying a coffee and a great catch up with my friends, I had a great view of the gorgeous garden which was clearly designed for wildlife. House Sparrows were common visitors, with birds constantly coming and going, who knows the true numbers but it must have been 60+. Blue and Coal Tits were frequent visitors and the occasional Greenfinch visited. A stunning Great Spotted Woodpecker was seen on and near a lovely old Silver Birch. A great end to this visit with lovely friends.
No comments:
Post a Comment