Of Birds & Cake the Blog of Paul: Slow day on the Patch

Sunday 16 August 2020

Slow day on the Patch

With a late start, very dull weather and aching bones we weren't expecting much and therefore we weren't disappointed on our mid-morning walk around the Patch today. This is the first time since I've been visiting the Patch that I haven't seen or heard a Yellowhammer 😢 There were few birds around really, the Starling Flock was on the wires and there were a few Linnets about as well although not as many as last week, we did have a Charm of 40+ Goldfinches but due to the dull conditions and general incompetence I didn't manage any pics of the flock, but hopefully they will stick around and I will be able to do better next time, there were a few Buzzards knocking about one of which has had a bad hair day, well I'm assuming it's a moulting Buzzard, though looks more like a small Vulture with the lack of feathers on the head😲!!A large Tit flock was seen but again, the angles involved and the Light meant it was better just to observe the flock going through than try for pictures, seemed mostly Long-tailed Tits and we couldn't spot anything rarer or migratory in with them😢 A couple of Chiffchaffs by the fishing lakes were the only warblers seen in what was really another quiet day!! Quite a few Wrens, flight views of both the commoner Woodpeckers, but it was one of those days where most often or not the view of the bird is as it disappears into a bush and you think, wonder what that was! Bird of the day was a Hobby seen powering through the flock of approximately 40 Swallows that were feeding above us for most of the walk ,It didn't seem to attempt an attack and the Swallows settled down to feeding around the tops of the trees within a few minutes of it disappearing and guess what? I didn't get a pic of that action either!! Kind of sums up the walk but nice to be out and about! A few atrocious pics that Margie and I did manage to get below.