Autumnal Nip

At 5:00 a.m. last Thursday I felt the first autumnal nip in the air! As I got out of my car to start my survey the thermometer read 6 degrees and it definitely had an autumnal feel with 'ticking' Robins to boot! I even detected a bit of vis with Swallows heading south as I drove over Faulds Brow and my first high flying Lesser Redpoll of the autumn!

It was one of my regular surveys of young plantation woodland and of moderate interest I recorded a Stock Dove, a Blackcap, a Chiffchaff, a Lesser Redpoll, a Great Spotted Woodpecker, three Tree Sparrows, two Buzzards, a Nuthatch and two Bullfinches.  

 Buzzard

The Buzzards were obviously breeding in the adjacent woodland and as soon as I was spotted they were in the air alarm calling. I always enjoy seeing Bullfinches as down here on the Fylde they are quite scarce!