Local birding

Sunday 22nd February 2015
Local birding has proved rewarding this week, particularly the patch walk around Caldecote Hall. I was joined by Steve Haynes yesterday as we were keen to check out the flocks of Buntings and Finches in the stubble adjacent to the river off Leathermill lane. There are in the region of 60 Linnets there at the moment, with smaller numbers of Chaffinch and Reed Buntings. Even with scopes the birds were distance so finding something interesting amongst them proved very tricky. A couple of Common Buzzard loitered in nearby trees and a Peregrine made a Merlin like low pass over the field creating panic with the birds on the ground.
We continued walking around 'the circuit'. The wintering Stonechat was in its regular area and Nuthatch and Treecreeper were seen in the bits of woodland. Birds of the day though were probably a pair of Grey Partridge which I hadn't seen in the area for a couple of years. Nearby at the Woodford road bridge we saw 5 Chiffchaffs, Grey wagtail and a few Goldcrests, in all we had seen around 50 species.