Monday 25 April 2011

Would you believe it!!

So off I set this morning arriving at around 6.40am it was another lovely morning, with Saturdays Ring Ouzel still on my mind I headed to the top of the car park,  distant GREEN WOODPECKER called and I could also hear the usual WRENS and BLACKCAPS, the next bird I heard sounded a little like a Jay, the bird flew into the last row of trees at the top of the car park and promptly raised it's crest!! HOOPOE (94) I couldn't believe 3 weeks after first being seen it was still here and it's only been seen 3 times! it quickly flew to the hedgerow stopped briefly again and disappeared, never to be seen again?? What a start! Stephen and Steve came and had a quick look but with the birds short history, it did, as I say disappear again.
Click to enlarge it really was the Hoopoe!!

The rest of the walk was done with a very large smile, a LESSER BLACK BACKED GULL flew north and there were reasonable numbers of SWALLOWS moving through. The BARNACLE goose is still around and down at the lake GARDEN WARBLER and BLACKCAP were vying for best song within a couple of yards of each other. In the wood I managed to add a calling LESSER SPOTTED WOODPECKER plus at least 5 TREECREEPERS were heard and several NUTHATCHES. I watched a MARSH TIT seemingly collecting nest material and heading off to a rotting stump and a COAL TIT called nearby. 

Out in the fields a KESTREL drifted along the stream, 2 NIGHTINGALES sang from different copses and 3 YELLOWHAMMERS were widely scattered around the field edges, as I walked along the edge of the patch  I looked up to find a BUZZARD circling with a HOBBY and a CUCKOO started singing, pretty much last addition of the morning was a purring TURTLE DOVE (95).


As well as the birds today, a Broad Bodied Chaser was seen to add to several Large Red Damselflies seen when we were with friends yesterday, there were a few butterflies around including Holly Blue, Orange Tip, Speckled Wood, Peacock, Red Admiral and Comma. Yesterday I also had a Yellow Wagtail fly over the house unfortunately not on the patch!
Just for a splash of colour took this in our garden

12 comments:

Warren Baker said...

Alan, I've gone a funy shade of green!!! I may need to take tomorrow of work :-)

Fantastic find though mate, well done.

Phil said...

Well done Alan. I know exactly how you feel!!

Rachel J said...

Hey, well done you on the hoopoe - at last! - (poor turtle dove being overshadowed!). I'm really pleased for you... although my first reaction was plain jealous! Great you got a photo of it (to wave under our noses and rub it in further!) Nice orange tip pic, have seen a few of those this year and brimstone seem to be about quite a bit too. Well done Al.

Adam said...

Well worth the wait Alan! Great to see a pic of the bird at last as well. Very jealous!

Adam

Unknown said...

Hi Alan, what a great sighting. My wife is originally from Zimbabwe and it would make her day to see a Hoopoe over here.

Mike H said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Mike H said...

Well done on the Hoopoe Alan,extremely jealous seems like time to revisit your patch again.

Anonymous said...

Maybe it`s on its way up here. Well done, Alan.

Greenie said...

Alan ,
Really pleased you caught up with the Whoopoe at last , your efforts have paid off .
That with the Turtle Dove have you on the last stretch to the 100 .
Still time for a Ring Ousel .

Alan Pavey said...

Hi All, Thanks for all your comments, I really thought the chances of finding it had long gone. I think I'm turning back to a normal colour myself now, after a few greenish tinges started appearing when Stephen first found it :-)

ShySongbird said...

Congratulations Alan! I bet that put a spring in your step for the rest of the day :) Well done on getting the photo too.

Alan Pavey said...

Hi ShySongbird, Thanks, it certainly was one of the highlights of my time watching at Sissinghurst. I thought I'd better try a photo, it wasn't great but just enough to see what it was!! :-)