1st Feb.
January provided some good sightings with Sam and me discovering Scaup on Killingworth Lake
on 1st January and towards the end of the month finding the Raven at Prestwick Carr. Incidentally my friend Hilary believes she
also saw the Raven in the area of Dinnington.
Perhaps, as BR mentioned in a comment on my blog, it is the same bird
that was seen at Swallow Pond a day or two later by AS and JD and maybe it has
been in patch air space. If it has, I
haven’t seen it on patch. Never mind,
January did provide a first ever sighting of Stonechat and two Roe Deer
on patch. We had some good sightings up
at Spindlestone and of course both Iceland
and Glaucous Gull at North
Shields. Sadly the month ended on a sad
note when Sam informed me that an Otter had been found dead (hit by vehicle we
think) on the roadside at Killingworth
Lake. Confirming what Sam has thought for a long
time, that Otters frequent the lake.
One species I certainly would have expected to see and/or
hear during January was Song Thrush. At
least one of them usually visits the garden during winter and I’ve heard them
singing as early as December. I haven’t
seen or heard Song Thrush on or off patch at all during the month. So today I planned Operation Song Thrush
which was to include visiting some areas on patch where they would be most
likely to be found. I’m sure we are all
aware of the massive decline in Song Thrush numbers, but I have to say in the
last two or three years they did seem to me to be making a tentative fight
back.
I initially headed for the small parkland area and hunted
around the small pond area there. After
spending some time there I had come up with only tits, Blackbird and two Wrens. I walked on.
It wasn’t long before I was watching Mistle Thrushes and Redwings
feeding in the fields. There has
certainly been no shortage of either of these species around the patch this
year. Walking on and taking a turn
right, I was surprised to find the pathway still partially frozen. After checking out other a small area of
woodland and areas of hedge I again walked on and I’m pleased to say met my
target bird. There were two Song Thrushes feeding along with
Blackbirds on the open area next to the woodland I’d just checked out.
I stepped out now and headed for the area behind the village
where I know someone regularly tops up birdfeeders. I note that more and more feeders are being
left in areas now, which is perhaps no bad thing as these days birds need all
the help they can get! Today the feeders
in this particular area had attracted a good number of Greenfinch along with Robin,
Dunnock, Wren, Blackbird, Great Tit, Coal Tit, Blue Tit, Long-tailed Tit, Goldcrest and Chaffinch. The Greenfinches were of course dominating
the feeders, but others were getting their chance to feed from the feeder or
the ground below. I watched in the hope
of Brambling, but that didn’t appear!
I headed fore the lake now and found that numbers of Common Gulls with the Black Headed Gulls in the field
nearby. I began to feel the cold
now. The smaller of the lakes held a
good number of Goosander which in
the main kept in one grouping. Goldenyes are about in decent numbers
and I’m pleased to say the Greylag Geese
have reappeared recently. Perhaps they
have never really been away. Canada Geese paraded just outside of
the lakeside houses! Sam had seen a
Great Crested Grebe in January, but it appears to have disappeared again. Hopefully our usual pair will be back soon.
Some of the Goosanders on the lake today.
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