February 2020

February 1st: The mild weather continues. Spring weather has the song thrushes, robins and great tits singing and I even heard a chiffchaff at Stirtloe. Bumble bees were busy and the first pussy willow was bursting from it's buds at the sailing lake. If we don't get a shock in the next month, this will be a great year for the survival of small birds like goldcrests, long-tailed tits and wrens that are all plentiful right now. The arable fields are attracting flocks of  reed buntings, yellow hammers and linnets and a stone-chat was still around at the end of January, so give the fields a good once over. You may see muntjac there too, especially at dusk. Don't forget to check out http://cbcwhatsabout.blogspot.com/ to see what's about locally. Have you seen a butterfly yet? Frogspawn? They could turn up any day soon.

That long first paragraph proved to be a bit premature and by mid month we were out repairing roofs, fences and screens as well as removing fallen trees and branches due to successive Atlantic storms. We got off lightly compared to the west of Britain.

Female reed bunting.

February 12th: Drake goosander x 2 on Heronry North Lake. Blue tit.

February 13th: Song thrush on the meadow trail, 

Gadwall x 62, mallard x 26, wigeon x 170, shoveller x 3, pochard x 44, tufted duck x 190, teal x 8, shelduck, goldeneye x 19, cormorant x 49, b-h gull x 142, greylag goose x 5, common gull x 4, water rail, mute swan x 12, coot x 41, green sandpiper, lapwing x 3 (+220 overhead), sparrowhawk, kestrel x 3, buzzard x 2, heron, collared dove, goldfinch, magpie, dunnock, g-c grebe x 10, moorhen, bullfinch, woodpigeon, great tit, wren, robin, herring gull, stock dove, jackdaw, l-t tit, song thrush, blackbird, chaffinch, crow, green woodpecker, yellowhammer x 14, reed bunting x 7, l-b-b gull, meadow pipit, blue tit, skylark, house sparrow, g-s woodpecker. 52 species (Terry Brown)

February 15th: Blue tit, great tit, long-tailed tit.

February 16th: Robin sparrow, blue tit, great tit, wren.

February 17th: Robin, sparrow, blue tit and wren at the bird table.

G-c grebe x 8, mute swan x 19, mallard x 22, gadwall x 79, wigeon x 78, goldeneye x 23, pochard x 72, tufted duck x 172, Canada goose x 12, lapwing, oystercatcher, common gull, cormorant x 45, little grebe, b-h gull x 52, coot x 35, shoveller x 2, jackdaw, blue tit, l-t tit, crow. moorhen great tit, woodpigeon, dunnock, goldfinch, stock dove, song thrush, magpie, redwing x 11, green woodpecker, pheasant, blackbird, skylark x 4, reed bunting x 5, yellowhammer x 10, linnet x 8, wren, kestrel.
(42 spp. Terry Brown)

Blue tit.

February 18th: Sailing Lake: Tufted duck, Canada goose, lapwing, swan, wigeon, b-h gull, g-c grenbe, moorhen, crow, jackdaw, woodpigeon, blue tit, great tit song thrush, magpie, buzzard, blackbird, cormorant. (18)
Weedy Pit: Coot, cormorant, tufted duck, long-tailed tit, mallard, wigeon. (6)
Heronry South: Wigeon, gadwall, moorhen, tufted duck, stock dove, red kite, robin, dunnock, rook, oystercatcher, heron. (7) M+AT

February 20th: Magpie, grey squirrel, blue tit x 2. (Sean) Blue tit, goldcrest. (Brooke) Rat x 2 (Beau)
Third Thursday Walk:   Blackbird, b-h gull, blue tit, crow, chaffinch, cormorant, dunnock, gadwall, g-c grebe, g-s woodpecker, great tit, greenfinch, heron, greylag, jackdaw, lapwing, magpie, mallard, moorhen, mute swan, oystercatcher, redwing, robin, song thrush, tufted duck, wigeon, wood pigeon, Canada goose. (28 spp.) David Wilson.

Goldfinch

February 23rd: Sparrowhawk, mute swan, coot, moorhen, tufted duck, cormorant, heron, mallard, blue tit, l-t tit, goldfinch, crow, goldeneye, robin, song thrush, magpie.

February 25th: Kingfisher by the Kingfisher Hide! At least 3 pairs of herons on nests (Alan Coles)

Mute swan x 22, mallard x 27, gadwall x 48, cormorant x 55, wigeon x 108, coot x 57, g-c grebe x 9, b-h gull x 200, Canada goose x 6, lapwing, greylag x 3, shoveller x 10, pochard x 26, common gull x 2, heron x 3, green sandpiper, goldeneye x 16, tufted duck x 150, g-s woodpecker, sparrowhawk, redwing x 5, blue tit, pheasant.

February 26th: Green sandpiper on Island Pit. (A+HT)

February 29th: Rat, red kite, crow, magpie, robin, great tit x 3, wren.
Goosander on Heronry North (Simon Marsh) 

Goldcrest.