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Birds and other wildlife recorded in February 2019
Two
Red Kites were seen on the 25th, and a single Buzzard were recorded – no
Sparrowhawk this month. There were also Black-headed Gulls flying over. This
month we had not only Woodpigeon and their modest cousin the Stock Dove, but
also Collared Doves. Green Woodpeckers were around, and there is quite a lot of
activity from the Great-spotted Woodpeckers, sometimes drumming against a
rival, to try to establish a territory. All the common corvids were recorded:
Magpie, Jackdaw, Crow and Jay and there were 12 Rooks on the 11th, but alas
only 2 nests so far.
A
Goldcrest was heard and eventually seen, and there were of course plenty of
Blue and Great Tits, and some Long-tailed Tits in low numbers. Skylarks sang –
not in the wood but in the nearby farmland, and their song can be heard from a
great distance.
Nuthatch
calls were also recorded, as were the calls and song of the diminutive Wren – a
lot of volume from a small bird! It is always a pleasure to hear Song Thrushes
and two were giving forth on the 21st.
Song is a sure sign that birds are getting ready for breeding –
safeguarding a territory and attracting a mate. Dunnocks, whose breeding habits
are far too irregular to describe on our website, and Robins, made themselves
heard; and finally, three of the finch species were reported: Chaffinch,
Goldfinch and Bullfinch. No Greenfinches this month?
In
the unexpected warm – hot – weather butterflies were recorded certainly a
Brimstone in the woods and probably many more unreported. Please record all
your sightings!
The
Snowdrops in the old wood seem to have diminished this year – only a couple of
flowering spikes. But as I write (early March) there are plenty of Primroses
showing, and Ground Ivy flowering, and the Bluebell shoots are doing very well,
spreading themselves slowly but surely into the more recently wooded areas.
Do
please send in your records!
Come
on all you frequenters of Linslade Woods – we need your records!!
Find out
what has
been spotted in 2018/19 So far - click here
To see what
was spotted in 2017 - click here
To see what
was spotted in
2016 - click here
or
to see
lists of previous sightings (2010 to 2015) - click
here
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