Sambourne Village

Contents in Chronological order - hover over month and click:

January. February. March. April. May. June. July. August. September. October. November. December.

Mid-December 2024 to mid-January 2025

The past week or so has been bitterly cold with ever-present frost, but we’ve started to notice the promise of spring with the appearance of embryonic pussy willow, and alder and willow catkins. The first snowdrops and primroses are in flower in the lane.

13th Dec. A Kestrel perched in our neighbour’s tree for a brief time. The trees in Wike Lane held a mixed flock of tits and a very vocal Nuthatch. Greylag and Canada Geese could be heard calling from the lake off Wike Lane.

18th Dec. As we left Hillers farm shop, we noticed a Red Kite flying overhead. Later in the day we watched a Kestrel in a tree by Astwood Bank cricket club.

23rd Dec. I watched a party of five Blackbirds flicking over leaves in their search for invertebrates in the field behind us. On a walk to Coughton, we noticed a white Pheasant standing in a field.

28th Dec. Roy managed to capture a photograph of the Sparrowhawk that has become a regular visitor to his Whitemoor Lane garden. We noticed a couple of flocks of Redwings near Coughton Court.

A flock of perhaps fifteen Long-tailed Tits has been visiting his seed feeders. His local wildlife has been making its presence known in the evening and has included Tawny Owl, Muntjac, and the blood-curdling cry of Fox.

5th Jan. Pete was pleased to have his first sighting of a Siskin on a seed feeder in his Middletown Lane garden. A Buzzard has often been perching in the garden.

7th Jan. Soon after daybreak I noticed a Heron flying low over our house. The same happened a couple of days later.

8th Jan. The harsh frost brought two Dunnocks onto our patio in search of food. Later, we noticed them visiting a sunflower seed feeder, not something we’ve seen before.

12th Jan. From our garden I heard a Great Spotted Woodpecker drumming on a nearby tree. I also heard a Raven making an odd call, rather like a muffled toll of a bell. I was aided in identifying the sound by a piece of video I managed to find on YouTube.

Mid-November 2024 to mid-December 2024

The weather for the past four weeks has been unexceptional with no extremes apart from a few chilly days when a dusting of snow lingered. Birds are now showing more interest in our seed feeders and the sunflower hearts disappear in a couple of days. I’m trying a new feeder with a seed mix which is supposed to attract Robins and finches. So far, the birds have studiously ignored it.

13the Nov. A herd of about thirty Fallow Deer were grazing in a field beside the Coughton Park woodland.

14th Nov. A Green Woodpecker feasted on ants in our lawn.

16th Nov. Some Goldcrests were feeding in the trees at the entrance to Sambourne Park. They are regularly present here in winter.

23rd Nov. Two Pheasants and a Green Woodpecker were busy in the field behind us.

24th Nov. Storm Bert triggered quite a frenzy of Blue and Great Tits visiting our sunflower seed feeders.

3rd Dec. A pile of feathers in our garden indicated that a Sparrowhawk had made a meal of a Wood Pigeon.

6th Dec. In Wike Lane we noticed many small birds flitting around in the top of the tall birch trees. Although they were silhouetted, I thought I was able to spot though binoculars a Lesser Redpoll and the Merlin app indicated that the flock included Siskins, Great, Blue and Coal Tits, and Goldcrests.

In conversation with Steve and Cathy from Coughton we heard that they had seen a herd of about twenty Fallow Deer with five stags. They got quite close to the deer and achieved this by talking to them instead of being stealthy. Echoes of Dr Doolittle!

Mid-October 2024 to mid-November 2024

The dearth of sunshine of late has reminded us that winter is on its way and we noticed that ladybirds have got the message that it’s time to seek appropriate sites for hibernation. For several days we noticed quite a few marching up our walls and windows to find a cosy place under tiles or behind soffits.

20th Oct. At 07:50 on a gloomy, breezy morning we noticed a few bats, presumably pipistrelles from their size, flying over our garden.

26th Oct. After a gap of one month, I cleaned and refilled the bird seed feeders. Take-up was slow, but I was pleased to see a Great-spotted Woodpecker on the peanuts after just one day.

30th Oct. A Sparrowhawk perched for a while on top of our bird feeding station. Needless to say, the garden was empty of small birds. At 6:30 pm I heard a Tawny Owl calling near our house.

1st Nov. We had our first sighting of Fieldfares and Redwings in trees in the grounds of Coughton Court. A Sparrowhawk flew over as we were watching them.

4th Nov. Goldcrests were feeding in the conifer in our neighbour’s garden.

4th Nov. Late in the evening Ann, our neighbour, noticed a Hedgehog crossing her drive and heading in our direction.

8th Nov. A flock of winter thrushes was present in the field behind our home.

The RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch runs from 24th to 26th January. I hope the birds are showing more interest in my feeders by then!

Mid-September 2024 to mid-October 2024

Autumn is upon us with some misty mornings and falling temperatures. Perrymill Lane residents have once more enjoyed the spectacle of Aurora Borealis, but we again missed it by being away on holiday.

Sept 15th. A busy day in our neighbour’s garden with visits from a Roe Deer, a Heron, and a Sparrowhawk within an hour.

Sept 17th. A Brimstone butterfly was on the wing near Botany Bay nursery.

Sept 19th. Angela mentioned having noticed many dragonflies over Wike Lane close to the woods.

Sept 20th. Roy’s new pond in his Sambourne Lane garden has become an immediate attraction for dragonflies.

Sept 23rd. A young Pheasant has become a regular visitor to our back garden. Lawyer’s Wig mushrooms made their annual appearance in our gravel drive.

Sept 29th to Oct 14th. We arrived in the Vaucluse département of Provence in the south of France for a two-week holiday. The first bird song we heard from our garden was that of Wood Larks.

We’ve only seen the species twice in England, so it was a real treat to see and hear them regularly here. We soon saw Black Redstarts around the property, and Common Wall Lizards scampering around in the sunshine. The first butterflies we saw on a local walk were a Nettle Tree butterfly and a Clouded Yellow. The Merlin app identified a Firecrest call, but we didn’t manage to spot it. At this time of year the south of France has lost its summer specialities such as Bee-eaters and Rollers which have departed for Africa, but we were still able to find nature that we don’t see at home such as a Wild Boar, Alpine Swifts, Crested Tits and a Black Woodpecker. A visit to the Camargue wetland gave us the spectacle of large flocks of Flamingos and many species of wading birds.

Mid-August 2024 to mid-September 2024

The final few weeks of summer have provided a few warm days, but butterflies have continued to be in short supply.

19th Aug. I had an overnight run of my moth trap and again had a disappointing catch. The highlights were a couple of Setaceous Hebrew Character moths and one Willow Beauty, which didn’t quite live up to its name.

21st Aug. We saw a Red Kite flying over Cookhill.

22nd Aug. I noticed a Buff Tip moth caterpillar crossing Wyke Lane and “rescued” it with a move to the verge.

As we walked along the bridlepath beside the woods, we saw the largest Grass Snake we have ever seen, crossing the path and into the wood. It must have been not far short of a metre long and perhaps 4 cm in diameter.

23rd Aug. At the same location as on the 19th, we watched a flock of around one hundred Linnets perched in the hedgerow then flying down to feed in the field.

25th Aug. It was a pleasure to watch a flock of Swallows swooping over our garden and the field behind in their hunt for insects.

29th Aug. The large flock of Linnets were still present near Glebe Farm.

30th Aug. On a walk along Sambourne Lane to Astwood Bank we stopped to watch a mixed flock of birds in the trees near the cricket ground. We spotted Pied Wagtails, Long-tailed, Great and Blue Tits and Swallows, unusually perched on the branches.

3rd Sept. A Grey Wagtail was catching insects on a mostly dried out pond in Coughton Court gardens.

6th Sept. We estimated twenty or thirty Swallows hunting over our garden and adjacent field.

Mid-July 2024 to mid-August 2024

The past month has seen some spells of fine summer weather and at last butterflies have responded accordingly, although Small Tortoiseshells have continued to be conspicuous by their absence.

14th July. We noticed our first Gatekeeper butterfly of the year in Coughton Park wood.

15th July. Walking near Glebe Farm, we spotted the only Small Tortoiseshell that we’ve seen so far this summer.

17th July. We were pleased to have a visit to our ant-plagued back lawn by a juvenile female Green Woodpecker. Chris mentioned having identified a Gatekeeper in his Middletown Lane garden. Being a bit of a softy, I paused on a walk along Wike Lane to rescue a Ruby Tiger Moth caterpillar that was crossing the road. In the woodland, many Gatekeepers and Ringlets were on the wing. We also spotted one Painted Lady a Silver-washed Fritillary, and a Marbled White. In a sunny glade we came across a couple of Small Skipper butterflies and a Southern Hawker dragonfly.

18th July. I ran my moth trap overnight and star of the show next morning was an Elephant Hawk moth.

Smaller moths present were September Thorn, Dark Arches, Scalloped Hook-tip, and Common Footman.

On a post-breakfast walk through the woods we saw more of the previously mentioned butterflies plus a Speckled Wood and many Meadow Browns. Four of the spectacular Silver-washed Fritillaries were seen. When we returned home, we found an adult male Green Woodpecker feeding a young female on our lawn.

23rd July. The first Red Admiral has visited our buddleias and Peacock butterflies were in evidence in the woods.

28th July. On our walk through the woods, we saw a Common Blue butterfly, a Chiffchaff, and I’m fairly confident that we briefly saw a Marsh Tit.

29th July. As we drove into Sambourne along Wike Lane we had to stop where the brook passes under the road as a party of twelve Greylag Geese waddled slowly across the road. There were two adults and ten large goslings.

31st July. This time we were on foot, but a repeat performance from the geese. Roy was able to photograph a Hedgehog crossing his Whitemoor Lane drive about 4pm. A few other villagers have mentioned seeing Hedgehogs recently.

1st Aug. Butterfly numbers have built up in the garden with our buddleia being visited by a Comma, Peacocks, Red Admirals and Gatekeepers.

7th Aug. Chris mentioned having seen a bird of prey visiting his Middletown Lane garden feeders in search of a meal. From his description it was probably a female Sparrowhawk, which is brown and larger than the more colourful male.

10th Aug. We spent the day at a car club event at Stratford racecourse. I noticed a brown cricket on a wall in a washroom. The “Seek” app identified it as a Roesel’s Bush Cricket. I captured it and released it in the more appropriate environment of a hedgerow. I read that the species was originally confined to the south-east, but in recent years has been spreading across the country.

Mid-June 2024 to mid-July 2024

We have had short glimpses of summer, but there has been a near complete absence of butterflies in our garden despite our buddleias having been in full flower for a couple of weeks. Perhaps the forecast slightly warmer weather will coax them out.

Minster Administrator Ellie tells me that Ring-necked Parakeets have been seen in Alcester. Attractive, but non-native and can be a nuisance.

12th June. A full-grown Drinker Moth caterpillar was crossing the woodland bridleway, presumably seeking a suitable place to pupate.

13th June. A grisly start to the day in our garden with the sight of a Carrion Crow picking over the remnants of a Wood Pigeon, probably the result of a Sparrowhawk kill. Several Whitethroats were singing from the hedgerow between Sambourne and Astwood Bank.

17th June. A Red Kite glowed in the early morning sunshine as it flew over our house. Two more Kites were over the field behind us when a hay cut was being taken. The process stirred up insects which resulted in many Swallows swooping low over our garden.

18th June. Two Kites were back over the field behind us.

21st June. Whitethroats were singing from the hedgerow by the footpath to Coughton.

23rd June. Ringlet butterflies are now on the wing in Coughton Park woods. I was surprised and delighted to find a baby Slow Worm on a path in our garden.

24th June. I ran my moth trap overnight with little success and only a couple of Coronets, and Heart and Darts.

25th June. We had a brief sighting of a Spotted Flycatcher in the woods.

29th June. We joined a morning butterfly walk organised by Butterfly Conservation in Tiddesley Woods near Pershore. The hope was to spot Purple Emperors. There was no great optimism as the morning was cool and overcast, but our luck was in. No sooner had we begun our walk when one landed on the path just a short distance ahead. It stayed long enough for everyone to have a good view. Another was spotted later in the walk in a more normal location for the species – near the top of a large oak tree. As we returned to the car park we saw our first Marbled White of the year.

1st July. Pete threw some chicken pieces into his Middletown Lane garden in the hope of attracting a Kite, but attracted a (Great?/Lesser?) Black-backed Gull instead.

2nd July. We saw a female Sparrowhawk pluck her breakfast from our sunflower heart feeder.

5th July. As we walked the footpath by the Heart of England Forest plantation between Perrymill Lane and Studley, we enjoyed the sight of more than twenty Swifts and House Martins hunting over the field. Marbled White, Ringlet and Meadow Brown butterflies were also present.

7th July. We visited the Shapwick Heath nature reserve on the Somerset Levels and were rewarded with sightings of a Marsh Harrier and a wonderful view of a Hobby when it flew straight towards us as we watched from a hide, then demonstrated its aerobatic skills as it hunted dragonflies.

Mid-May 2024 to mid-June 2024

Spring has drawn to a close and summer has begun although there has been little sign of its arrival so far. As ever, the evocative Cuckoo call has brought pleasure to a number of village residents including Janet, our neighbour David, Angela, and Pete.

May 9th-17th. We had a change of scenery with a stay in mid-Wales. We were blessed with rather good weather and were able to enjoy some good walks. In the Hafren Forest, Garden and Willow Warbler song accompanied us most of the time and we heard Cuckoos calling. We also saw Redstarts and Siskins. Elsewhere we found Pied Flycatchers in the oakwoods and Red Kites were continuously visible overhead.

21st May. We heard the song then glimpsed a Whitethroat as we walked the field path home from Coughton Court.

24th May. As I pottered in our front garden a Cuckoo was clearly audible from the other side of the village. Pete from Middletown Lane informed me that he had been in Scotland the previous week and from the Sound of Mull had been thrilled to see Golden and White-tailed Eagles. Both species are such impressive birds.

25th May. Greylag Geese with goslings have been spotted waddling down Wike Lane and near the pool in Wike Lane.

27th May. Roy spotted a Red Kite flying over the church room opposite his house.

28th May. A Swift flew over our garden. Sadly, these birds have become uncommon around here.

1st-2nd June. We attended the Ragley Hall air display and were interested to see Red Kites providing an alternative display to the main one!

5th June. During a few days visiting a friend in Yorkshire we spent a day at the St Aidan’s RSPB reserve near Leeds. The weather was not ideal being quite breezy with a few showers, but the highlight was hundreds of Swifts whizzing low over our heads as they hunted insects above the pools. Reed, Sedge and Cettis Warblers announced their presence through their songs.

9th June. Chris has been noticing young Robins and Goldfinches feeding or being fed in his Middletown Lane garden. He has also heard a Little Owl calling in front of his house.

11th June. The ground has now dried enough for us to manage a walk along the length of the bridleway through the woods and across the field footpaths back to Sambourne. It was pleasing to see and hear Skylarks, Whitethroats and Linnets.

12th June. Again, with improving conditions we manage a walk along the Monarch’s Way and found many Common Spotted Orchids growing in the usual meadow.

Mid-April 2024 to mid-May 2024

May has arrived with a mix of rainy, windy, thundery, warm, dry, sunny, and more rainy weather. Walks have still been generally limited to the local lanes while the field and woodland footpaths have continued to be a quagmire.

15th April. Two Siskins visited our garden feeders.

16th April. On our walk along Wike Lane the “Merlin” phone app picked up the sound of a Redstart and a Pied Flycatcher. We have seen a Redstarts in the area on a couple of occasions, so I find this plausible. The Flycatcher isn’t beyond the realms of possibility, but I would have had to have seen it to believe it. “Merlin” isn’t infallible – it also reported having picked up an American Robin.

20th April. On the M40 south of Warwick we noticed the bank carpeted with cowslips.

23rd April. We spotted a Fox crossing Sambourne Lane and the adjacent paddock near the Oak Tree Lane junction.

24th April. On an early morning walk along Wike Lane we found the air filled with lovely bird song.

Ann has acquired a nyger seed feeder for her village green garden and was delighted to find that it quickly attracted Lesser Redpoll and Siskins.

29th April. The longer days allow evening walks with the songs of Chiffchaffs and Blackcaps much in evidence in Wike Lane.

1st May. Fiona reported having encountered her first Willow Warbler at her village green residence.

Tom showed us young Charlie’s I-Spy Birds book. It looks to be a great improvement on the copies we had as children, and very educational.

2nd May. A Coal Tit raided our black sunflower seed feeder.

3rd May. After a long absence, four Greenfinches were on our feeders today.

Brimstone butterfly - Natural History Museum

Orange Tip Butterfly - Butterfly Conservation

Small White Butterfly - Butterfly Conservation

4th May. We heard a Garden Warbler in Wike Lane. Brimstone, Orange Tip and Small White butterflies were on the wing. Merlin picked up fourteen species, including a Tree Creeper, in the grounds of Coughton Court.

6th May. As usual, Nick was first to hear a Cuckoo call while on his early morning run along Wike Lane.

7th May. We saw a Meadow Brown butterfly, our first three Swallows, and heard a Garden Warbler as we walked along Wike Lane this afternoon.

8th May. From the site by the village green where he was working this morning, builder Tom heard a Cuckoo calling.

Mid-March 2024 to mid-April 2024

The weather has been mostly wet and cool, but springtime has progressed as usual, with more birds arriving for their summer sojourn with us.

13th March. The Goosanders were still present by the ford in Coughton. We noticed a pair of Mallards in the flooded ditch along Wike Lane. A flock of thirty or so Redwings were in trees behind our garden, perhaps gathering for their journey back to Scandinavia.

17th March. From its behaviour, I think a Robin has a nest in a leylandii in our garden.

18th March. From our back garden we heard our first Chiffchaff of the year calling. A Brimstone and a Peacock butterfly were in the garden.

20th March. Chiffchaffs were calling loud and clear in Wike Lane.

21st March. Pete spotted Siskins and Lesser Redpolls from the hide at Hillers farm shop.
We noticed a Roe Deer with a leg stuck in the top of a fence in Wike Lane. Fortunately, Janet and Roger came to its rescue and were able to free it.

23rd March. Our neighbour’s nest box would seem to be occupied by Blue Tits.

24th March. A coal Tit visited our sunflower hearts feeder.

26th March. Rachel saw a Weasel running across Oak Tree Lane – the first she’s seen and an unusual sighting. She also noticed a Red Kite flying over her garden.

27th March. Wild garlic was in bud and pussy willow in full flower in Wike Lane. Horse chestnut flower spikes were evident in Coughton Fields Lane.

29th March. A flock of about fifteen Siskins plundered our seed feeders. They wouldn’t stay still to be counted, so there might have been more. They were joined by Greenfinches, Goldfinches, Dunnocks, and a Lesser Redpoll.

Fiona was watching host of small birds in her garden on the village green when they were spooked by a Sparrowhawk. We heard our first Blackcap singing in Wike Lane.

31st March. Harrison informed us of a Mistle Thrush in his Perrymill Lane garden. His mum Natasha had identified it.

Mistle Thrush - Wildlife Gardening Forum

Songthrush - RSPB

Fieldfare - RSPB

2nd April. Nine Fallow Deer grazed in a field off Wike Lane.

We had the unusual sight of a Song Thrush seeking food on our lawn, perhaps gathering it to feed nestlings.

5th April. Roy informed me that his Sambourne Lane neighbour had noticed a Brambling in his garden. I’ve failed to spot one this past winter.

6th April. We saw and heard the song of a Willow Warbler in Wike Lane. On our 30-minute walk from Coughton to Sambourne our phone app “Merlin” identified the calls of twenty-two different bird species. We heard two more that Merlin didn’t.

9th April. Chris’s Middletown Lane garden has been visited by Red-legged Partridges after an absence of several years.

11th April. Some warm sunshine brought a Peacock and an Orange-tip butterfly into our garden. Pete photographed an unusual spider in his Middletown Lane garden. My garden wildlife book and the “Seek” app identified it as a Nursery Web spider.

13th April. We walked to Coughton Court and beyond to their woodland trail.
The bluebells looked to be at their peak, providing a lovely sight and fragrance.

Mid-February 2024 to mid-March 2024

Despite the uninspiring weather of late there are some real signs of spring around us, including willow catkins turning yellow with pollen and hawthorn sprouting leaves.

13th Feb. It was pleasing to see a male and a female Siskin on our sunflower heart feeder. I was amused by the behaviour of a couple of cock Pheasants keeping pace with one another while running along either side of our back garden hedge.

20th Feb. A Great Spotted Woodpecker was drumming loudly in our neighbour’s garden this morning.

21st Feb. A large flock of Redwings arrived in an oak tree outside our garden.

22nd Feb. Four Siskins and two Redpolls squeezed into our sunflower heart feeder.

24th Feb. John and Pat saw two Red Kites overhead as they walked along Wike Lane.

25th Feb. Roy has found frogspawn in his Whitemoor Lane garden pond.

28th Feb. At breakfast time a flock of twenty or more Goldfinches and Siskins arrived at our apple tree to visit the feeders. Chris has noticed a pair of Stock Doves in his Middletown Lane garden.

29th Feb. Two Siskins and two Redpolls visited the garden feeders.

2nd Mar. A few Canada Geese grazed in the field behind us for the first time that we’ve noticed.

5th March. Our walk to the ford at Coughton was rewarded with the sight of a male and a female Goosander relaxing on an island in the river Arrow. These are quite striking ducks, with red bills and red legs. A Grey Wagtail landed close by.

6th March. The Goosanders were in the same place but accompanied by a Heron.

7th March. As we walked along Middletown Lane we enjoyed the song of Skylarks from the fields on both sides of the lane.

9th March. A Little Egret occupied the island where we had seen the Goosanders. We noticed our first Chiffchaff of the spring flitting around the branches of a tree overhanging the river.

10th March. A Greenfinch briefly visited the garden – the first I’ve seen here for several months. Pete mentioned having seen a Red Kite and a Raven flying over his Middletown Lane garden.

12th March. Sue noticed a small furry caterpillar on the frame of our patio door. The “Seek” app identified it as a Ruby Tiger moth larva. I have previously attracted adult Ruby Tigers to my moth trap.

Finally, a gentle reminder that it is good nature-friendly practice to not allow dogs to run through crops or through woodland undergrowth in springtime. Ground-nesting birds will abandon nests when disturbed by dogs.

Mid-January 2024 to mid-February 2024

There is still time for more winter weather,

but we look for the first signs of spring and have noticed catkins in the hedgerows and wild garlic sprouting in the verges. Yesterday a bee was tempted out by the sunshine and visited flowers in our back garden.

14th Jan. Paul and Gail mentioned having counted up to fifteen Pheasants and noticed occasional deer in the field opposite their Middletown home.

16th Jan. A Great Tit showed interest in the nest box in our front garden.

17th Jan. A flock of Redwings was busy feeding in a field off Oak Tree Lane where horses had disturbed the surface.

18th Jan. After the coldest night of the winter, postman Richard spotted a butterfly (species unknown) on our porch.

20th Jan. We walked part of the Coughton Park bridleway but were turned back by the quagmire. We were rewarded with views of a Goldcrest.

21st Jan. A male Lesser Redpoll arrived to feed on our sunflower hearts and

was soon joined by a female.

Pete reported having seen about one hundred Lapwings near the lake in Wike Lane, and five Pied Wagtails on his Middletown Lane patio.

22nd Jan. Redpoll numbers visiting the sunflower hearts have risen to two males and two females. A Fox trotted purposefully across the field behind us about mid-day, and two Stock Doves were feeding in our garden.

24th Jan. I spotted the first Siskin visiting our garden this winter. Angela (and Freddie) noticed thirty Roe Deer (probably) and one Muntjac in the woods.

27th Jan. I counted fifteen species for the RSPB bird count and was pleased that five Redpolls put in an appearance.

28th Jan. We had excellent prolonged views of a Kingfisher from the footbridge by the ford at Coughton.

29th Jan. Through the telescope we observed a Mistle Thrush near some Redwings behind our garden and noted how much larger is the Mistle Thrush.

7th Feb. From his Middletown Lane home Chris has been observing Crows and Rooks preparing for the breeding season, a Sparrowhawk on the greenhouse ridge, and has heard Tawny Owl calls at night.

8th Feb. At 10am there was a real frenzy of small bird feeding activity in our garden.

They were mostly Goldfinches, Great and Blue Tits, but there were also two Siskins. Four Chaffinches, now a rarity for us, were also present. A large flock of Redwings were feeding in the field behind us.

12th Feb. As I sat down to start these notes, I was called to the kitchen to see a female Sparrowhawk in our back garden feasting on a Pigeon it had just caught. It was there for at least an hour, so I suspect that little remains.

Mid-December 2023 to mid-January 2024

The shortest day was three weeks ago, some snowdrops, primroses and daffodils are flowering, but the weather is cold, so it’s a bit to early to start talking about spring.

19th - 24th Dec. Pete has been busy spotting up to three Red Kites on three occasions between Hillers farm shop and Sambourne.

20th Dec. We spotted a Mistle Thrush perched in a tree beside Wike Lane. We rarely see one these days.

Long-tailed Tit - LoveGardenBirds

Blue Tit - RSPB

Great Tit - RSPB

31st Dec. A small party of Long-tailed Tits joined the Blue and Great Tits feeding on our sunflower seeds.

1st Jan. A male Pheasant has taken up residence in our garden, taking advantage of the fallout from the small birds on the seed feeders.

2nd Jan. I noticed that about one hundred Starlings gather in trees across the field behind us and drop to the ground en masse to search for invertebrates.

3rd Jan. At 9am a Great Spotted Woodpecker was drumming loudly in a tree near our garden.

8th Jan. A few Redwings were mixed in with the flock of Starlings perched in the tree across the field. The woodpecker was drumming again and we were pleased to see a Greenfinch among the many Goldfinches visiting our seed feeders.

10th Jan. Having seen no Chaffinches in our garden for many months, I noticed two females below our feeders.

Emails from Middletown Lane informed me that Pete had three Nuthatches tucking into food he put out for a pair of Robins, and Chris enjoyed a close view of a Goldcrest in his garden.

11th Jan. We had great views of a mixed flock of Fieldfares and Redwings in a field off Sambourne Lane near the cricket club.

Around midday I spotted a lovely male Bullfinch in our apple tree. A party of Long-tailed Tits seemed to be going after the record for how many could squeeze into the sunflower seed anti-squirrel cage.

12th Jan. On a morning visit to the Upton Warren nature reserve, we saw 100+ Lapwings, one Curlew, a Little Grebe, and an assortment of common ducks. I had a tantalising glimpse of what I think was a Water Rail, and we spent a few minutes watching a flock of Siskins feeding in an alder. We were pleased to be able to identify a Cetti’s Warbler singing in a reed bed.