My Outback

Some of you will know that I used to make regular trips to my patch, but due to a rather extended period of intermittent illness, it’s something I haven’t managed for a while. During the periods when I have been well enough, I’ve been scuppered by other inconveniences, and so, this morning marks my first venture onto my patch for some six months or more!

Well, stepping out on an unseasonably windy and cloudy morning, cool enough for fleeces, my first “official” patch bird for some time was House Martin.

A good few nest in the eaves of houses on our estate, though not ours, and we saw a small number flitting around before reaching my outback proper.

The number of ids today was rather small, partly due to lack of practice, but also down to the amount of wind, which meant many birds kept well within the thick foliage of the shrubbery, or sheltered in the long grass, plus, if they didn’t shout very loud, I didn’t stand much chance of hearing them either!

A couple of Blue Tits were in the first bushes, and there were Skylarks doing their best in the gales. At least one Meadow Pipit was also trying to cope with the conditions, and four Linnets crossed our path, resting briefly just ahead of us.

A couple of Goldfinches were in the trees, perhaps on their way to our garden, and a couple of Swifts flew over.

We made our way to the pond, where I am pleased to report a happy story.

Last year, for the first time since I started working the area, a pair of Mute Swans managed to raise a single cygnet, and as the area is very popular with families (great), dog-walkers (super) and yobs on motorbikes (hmm… not great at all!!!*) I thought they did rather well to succeed.

Well this year, as we approached the pond, the swans came towards us, somewhat expectantly it appeared, complete with a family of eight (count ’em, eight!) cygnets. Brilliant!

It’s clearly that time of year, as the Coots, Moorhens and Mallards were also avec young ’uns.

Apologising (would you believe) to the swans, we continued on my formerly regular route, picking up the first of the Carrion Crows, and then as we passed the next stand of trees we came alongside the first “swarm” of House Martins feeding out in the “countryside”.

An occasional Woodpigeon flew over, and we could just about pick out the odd Chaffinch from the trees, and a distant, or perhaps just downwind, Yellowhammer.

We reached the eastern footpath, and added some Swallows, before turning into the wooded area close to the hotel.

Slim pickings there, but we could add Wren, Great Tit and Jackdaw, and a Chiffchaff as we exited.

One of the local Buzzards was flying a sortie, and the only gull we managed to id was a solitary Black-headed.

We made our way back towards the pond, and on to home, the main birding activity apart from the revisit of the pond being a second House Martin swarm.

Other than adding the occasional one to the numbers already seen, that was it, although we were only out just over an hour, so not too bad.

OK, the numbers follow. The first number is total individuals counted, the number in brackets is maximum counted at one time. As it was my first trip out, they are technically all year ticks for my patch, and so all are in bold.

Mute Swan (Cygnus olor) : 10 (10)
Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos) : 38 (18)
Swift (Apus apus) : 2 (2)
Woodpigeon (Columba palumbus) : 4 (1)
Moorhen (Gallinula chloropus) : 3 (2)
Coot (Fulica atra) : 11 (11)
Black-Headed Gull (Larus ridibundus) : 1 (1)
Buzzard (Buteo buteo) : 1 (1)
Magpie (Pica pica) : 1 (1)
Jackdaw (Corvus monedula) : 2 (2)
Carrion Crow (Corvus corone) : 8 (4)
Wren (Troglodytes troglodytes) : 2 (1)
Great Tit (Parus major) : 1 (1)
Blue Tit (Parus caeruleus) : 2 (2)
Swallow (Hirundo rustica) : 3 (3)
House Martin (Delichon urbicum) : 41 (20)
Chiffchaff (Phylloscopus collybita) : 1 (1)
Skylark (Alauda arvensis) : 4 (1)
Meadow Pipit (Anthus pratensis) : 1 (1)
Chaffinch (Fringilla coelebs) : 4 (1)
Goldfinch (Carduelis carduelis) : 2 (2)
Linnet (Carduelis cannabina) : 4 (4)
Yellowhammer (Emberiza citrinella) : 1 (1)

*As I type, I am sorry and angered to report that three of the thoughtless idiots are riding their minibikes in the very pond. I despair sometimes!