Wet Moss

Unfortunately I couldn't do any ringing today as I had a family meal to attend last night that threatened to be a late night affair. Not very conducive to getting up early in the morning and setting mist nets. However, I was home relatively early, midnightish, and I thought that I might go ringing in the morning if the weather was fit after all. A quick check of the forecasts showed that the weather had changed and it was going to be too wet and possibly a little too windy. So I suppose one consolation was that I hadn't missed a ringing session because I was too p*ssed to get out of bed!

I needed to feed on Rawcliffe Moss so I headed out there mid-morning amongst all the heavy rain showers. The plan was to feed and if the rain gave up I would have a walk round on the wet moss. As I walked down the track towards the feeding station the regular 2 Yellowhammers flew along the hedge in front of me calling away. It will be after Christmas before any numbers build up. At the feeding station itself I had 140 Tree Sparrows, which is an increase on recent days so that is good. There was also a couple of Reed Buntings at the feeding station as well as 15 Chaffinch and 5 Blackbirds.

I walked back to my car and put the seed bucket in the boot and I noticed that in the far corner of the 'west' field were quite a few Corn Buntings perched up in a willow. I headed over there walking past 'Tree Sparrow' wood and seeing a further dozen Chaffinch. As I walked along the 'Reed Bunting' ditch there were indeed a number of Reed Buntings flying along it and some were flying in to the willow and joining the Corn Buntings. There were 15 Corn Buntings in the willow and I had another flock of 35 fly over. It was difficult to count the Reed Bunts and I thought there were about 15 or so.

 Blurry Corn Buntings

Corn Bunting

Whilst watching the Buntings 28 Tree Sparrows dropped in and so did a dozen Fieldfares. A number of Pink-footed Geese were arriving from Pilling Moss direction and I had 1,140 in total. I then cut across the front of Curlew wood to the '97' hedge and headed north along here to the top fields and on to the plantation. There were probably another 10-15 Reed Buntings along here and when Colin came driving down the margin to top up the Pheasant feeders he flushed at least 50 Chaffinch.

 Fieldfares

Pink-footed Geese

Reed Bunting

Further along the '97' hedge I flushed a Woodcock and this was my first for the autumn. As I walked along the track towards the plantation I had a couple of Siskin go over and a single Brambling. Two Roe Deer ran across the track and in to the adjacent stubble field. In the plantation a large number of Goldfinch, 50, were feeding on the ground on fallen birch seeds and also a further 15 Chaffinch were feeding amongst the birches.

 Roe Deer

 

Goldfinch

On my way back to the car I flushed a second Woodcock from the margin next to the track, just before the heavens opened and ended my walk on a wet moss.