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30 Oct A gorgeous, warm and sunny morning - I definitely wasn't in the mood to go to work! Ten minutes in the park produced no less than thirteen bird species! There were GOLDCREST, DUNNOCK, COAL and BLUE TITS, WOODPIGEON, JAY, CHAFFINCH, CARRION CROW, WREN, ROBIN, and a fly-over LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULL, GREY WAGTAIL and PIED WAGTAIL. A GREY SQUIRREL was busily searching for food in the play area. |
28 Oct After a spell of rain this morning, the skies cleared a little and I made my way to the station. There was not a sound from any bird at first and everything seemed dead. Then a flock of tits weaved their way through the bushes, constantly calling. There were LONG-TAILED, GREAT, BLUE and a single COAL TIT and they seemed to transform the silent urban landscape into a busy wildlife metropolis - ROBIN, WREN and DUNNOCK proclaimed their presence as if awakened by the party of tits. A JAY flew into tall trees and MAGPIES squabbled overhead. Then the nomadic tits disappeared as quickly as they had arrived, returning the station once again to its former sleepy state. I was surprised to see a single MOTH MULLEIN plant still in flower near the tunnel. |
27 Oct A dreary and drizzly day today. A WREN was very vocal in the garden earlier, making an alarm call for several minutes so a cat was probably snooping around. The ROBIN has been singing on and off all day. A flock of 20-plus STARLINGS were on the chimneys in Effingham Road and flying to the church spire nearby. This general area seems to be a bit of a stronghold for Starlings which continue to be scarce in Monty proper. |
24 Oct I only had the chance for a quick circuit round the park this morning - not much about other than 7 LONG-TAILED TITS, 5 or 6 CHAFFINCHES, a BLACKBIRD, a WREN, a MAGPIE and a JAY. A JACKDAW flew over Brigstocke Road this morning. |
23 Oct Apologies for the break - there were technical problems with the server and I wasn't able to update the website. Sunday was a good day - a flock of 23 JACKDAWS flew high over the garden (my biggest ever count locally), two RAVENS also flew over. MEADOW PIPIT, LONG-TAILED TIT, CHAFFINCH and SISKIN were all recorded plus a HARLEQUIN LADYBIRD. Yet another SISKIN flew over Richmond Road this morning. This is the best year ever for this species in Monty but they don't seem to be hanging around - they are sometimes seen in gardens so keep watching your birdtable! |
19 Oct Despite the advance of autumn, there were SPECKLED WOOD butterflies at the railway path and at the station and RED ADMIRALS at the park and along St Andrews Road. A group of five BLACKBIRDS were also at the railway path - makes me wonder if they are migrants? One shot towards my face and only veered off at the last minute - I reckon only a few inches from my eye - so it could have been a nasty experience for both of us! A SKYLARK flew over Fairlawn Road and a party of LONG-TAILED TITS were in trees near the junction with Ashley Hill. |
18 Oct A REDPOLL flew over the park this morning - this is another small finch that occurs mainly in autumn and winter but is less common than Siskin with which it often associates. Also in the park were two COAL TITS, one of which was unusually easy to see as it fed in the pine tree at the back of the park. A GOLDCREST called in the other pine near the entrance and a group of five or six female CHAFFINCHES were flitting around in trees around the games area. |
17 Oct A WREN made one of its rare appearances in the garden this afternoon - the fact that a ROBIN was close by reminded me that in medieval times it was thought that Robin and Wren were male and female birds of the same species, hence the rhyme that goes: The robin and the wren Are God Almighty's cock and hen. In the park I found a pupa of a HARLEQUIN LADYBIRD on one of the shrubs by the Old Vicarage. A COAL TIT was singing in the pine tree there too. A RED ADMIRAL was braving the cooler temperatures in the garden |
16 Oct Incredible stuff at the station this morning - a flock of 9 MUTE SWANS flying north, the magical whooshing of their wings drowning the sound of traffic! They were mainly young ones by the look of it. Also there was a LINNET over the station - certainly a migrant. There was a SISKIN and a SKYLARK over the park and a WREN and JAY there. A GREY WAGTAIL flew over Fairlawn Road. In the garden this morning there were no less than 7 BLACKBIRDS plus BLUE and GREAT TITS, DUNNOCK, ROBIN, CARRION CROW, MAGPIE, WOODPIGEON and fly-over CHAFFINCH and GREENFINCH. In the kitchen last night was a CRANE FLY that looked a bit like a large Mosquito as it folded its wings over its body - it might have been something called Limonia nubeculosa. You really wanted to know that didn't you? Just beyond the garden this afternoon four Magpies, two Jays and a Carrion Crow were making a huge racket - they had probably seen a predator but I couldn't see what it was as it was behind a building. |
15 Oct Passing the Ivy-covered wall along St Andrews Road this afternoon I was amazed by the profusion of BUMBLEBEES and HOVERFLIES. I think one of the Bumblebees was called BOMBUS LUCORUM because it had deep yellow bands on its thorax and abdomen and a nice white tail. The Hoverflies included one yellow and black number which I think is in the SYRPHUS family (maybe S.vitripennis or S. ribesii). There was also a rather splendid GREEN SHIELD BUG sunning itself on a leaf. It was nice to hear a colony of HOUSE SPARROWS in Cobourg Road. A JAY flew over the park this afternoon and a SISKIN was heard over the flat this morning. It seems there are lots of Siskins around at the moment - several have been seen at Chew Valley Lake in the last few days so it's a bit of an invasion! |
13 Oct A muggy and murky Monty produced a CHIFFCHAFF at the station and a SKYLARK overhead. A few GREENFINCHES were flying around Fairlawn Road and a party of LONG-TAILED TITS were in trees near the junction with Ashley Hill. A GREY SQUIRREL was climbing up the wall of the Old Vicarage! From my window I counted no less than ten CARRION CROWS flying towards the station. Another rarity was a POSTMAN in St Andrews Road. |
11 Oct At the station this morning a PIED WAGTAIL flew over and a group of five CHAFFINCHES were flying around and settling in the trees. Last night a SILVER Y MOTH was in the kitchen - this moth may have been a migrant from France! |
10 Oct It was a rather grey and dismal morning in the park but a JAY flew to an exposed branch and sat there for several seconds giving a superb view. CHAFFINCHES, BLUE TITS, a BLACKBIRD and a WREN were the supporting cast. Two GREY SQUIRRELS were scampering around the play area then making horrible noises in the trees - how can an animal that looks so cute make such an unpleasant sound? Comedian Jeremy Hardy recently likened the noise they make to a baby strangling a kitten. Very accurate I'd say. |
8 Oct There was a nerve-jangling cacophony from the wall builders and a tree surgeon this morning in St Andrews Road so birding in the park was not that productive! A GOLDCREST could be heard above the din though as it has such a high-pitched call. By the way the tree-surgeon managed to completely reduce two attractive trees outside the Old Vicarage to ugly stumps - just what is the point of that? The tranquillity of the railway path was much appreciated and both CHAFFINCH and GOLDFINCH were noted flying over. Two GREY WAGTAILS flew over Falkland Road and a STARLING (a Monty rarity) was singing nearby. A COAL TIT was singing at the top of Richmond Road. Yet another SISKIN flew over the flat this morning and two RED ADMIRALS were sunning themselves on the back garden Ivy. |
6 Oct Another SISKIN flew south over the garden this morning - other birds in or around the garden were two BLACKBIRDS, BLUE and GREAT TITS, CHAFFINCH, ROBIN, DUNNOCK, JAY, CARRION CROW, WOODPIGEON and MAGPIE. A migrant CHIFF CHAFF was at the railway path and two JACKDAWS flew over the top of St Andrews Road. There was a GREY SQUIRREL at the station. |
5 Oct Another mega treat this morning - my first ever Monty GREAT SPOTTED WOODPECKER in the park! Actually there were two of them, one definitely female. As these birds are fairly sedentary does this mean they've been around unnoticed all summer? If so they've been amazingly inconspicuous. They were in trees behind the Old England. Also plenty of other bird activity in the park, with COAL, BLUE and GREAT TITS, a female CHAFFINCH, a ROBIN, WOODPIGEON and MAGPIE. There were up to three GREY SQUIRRELS as well! A colleague tells me he saw a young FOX on the railway bank along Station Road last night - looking very mangy and very tame (the Fox that is, not the colleague). |
4 Oct More autumnal excitement this morning with a SISKIN flying north-west over the station. These small finches spend the winter with us but are not common in Monty. Also of note was a SKYLARK flying high to the south and a couple of PIED WAGTAILS also going south. There were lots of CARRION CROWS flying in groups of sixes and sevens but it could have been the same birds doing a circuit rather than lots of different birds! |
3 Oct A real piece of Monty Magic this morning - two SWALLOWS feeding high above the park - a rare sight for us city-dwellers and evidence of migration. It is wonderful to think these essentially rural birds may have spent the summer on a farm deep in the countryside and will, in a few weeks time, be crossing the Sahara. What a privilege to see them here! Other new arrivals were a couple of GOLDCRESTS near the Old Vicarage. Finally, the park also produced a COAL TIT, two BLUE TITS feeding busily in the canopy, a ROBIN and two WOODPIGEONS. Needless to say with so many distractions I was late for work this morning! |
2 Oct The highlight this morning was a GREY WAGTAIL which flew over the station. Normally this bird is seen near rivers and streams but they do turn up in Monty during autumn and winter. Nothing much else except for three ROBINS and a DUNNOCK. |
