Birds and other
wildlife recorded in August & September 2020
Not
a huge list this time, even though it is a combined one for two months. A quiet
time of year for the birds and a quiet time for records coming in! Now we are
into autumn there may be a change – breeding is over (except perhaps for
Woodpigeons), winter migrants are beginning to arrive and most of our summer
visitors will have departed. You may still see Blackcaps and Chiffchaffs and
there will be House Martins around for some time. Anyway, here is this time’s
rather short list of what’s been seen in the Woods: Common
Buzzard and Red Kites have been fairly frequent, and both Woodpigeons and Stock
Doves are regulars. The calls of Tawny Owl have been picked up regularly by
visitors to the woods and by nearby residents – they are almost certainly
breeding in the woods.
Great-spotted
and Green Woodpeckers are around – and there have been calls heard from
juvenile Green woodpeckers. The usual
common corvids are about: Magpie, Jay, Jackdaw, Rook (only in small numbers) and
Carrion Crow. Blue
Tit, Great Tit and Coal Tit have been recorded; nobody recorded a sighting of
their very distant relative, the Long-tailed Tit – but look out for them now as
they form flocks and constantly call to one another as they flit like little
arrows from tree to tree.
Skylarks
were recorded from neighbouring fields, and Chiffchaffs were still calling into
late September. Some, like Blackcaps, may overwinter here. Nuthatch, Wren, Blackbird and Robin were all
seen or heard; no Song Thrush anyone? Dunnocks, quiet but common, were also
observed. And
finally – the finches: Chaffinch, Goldfinch
(also now beginning to form flocks), and Bullfinch. The
sunnier days also witnessed many butterflies,
including Large White, Speckled Wood, Gatekeeper, Green-veined White, Peacock,
Comma and Red Admiral. Keep a look out – some species will be around for a
while yet!
