Friday, 21 June 2019

Holmethorpe SP - Posse of Passerines!


Yesterday at Holmethorpe Sand Pits it turned out to be a great day for passerines. The numbers obviously boosted by recently fledged chicks. Blue and Great Tit were well represented as I traversed the site.
The Common Tern on Mercers Lake had their hands full fending off predatory Herring Gull as they swooped for the chance of an easy meal. This territorial behavior was successful as the gull did not stand a chance and soon gave up on its raid!
I regularly check the Oaks for Little Owl and spied a distant and seemingly well hidden (to the naked eye at least) bird that was resting on an open branch. I had travelled light therefore did not have the heavy artillery with me (scope and camera phone) and could only obtain fuzzy shots of the bird.
Nuthatch was easily within camera range spending most of their time inverted on another Oak feeding on the masses of insects that were on the bark and in the surrounding air.

I recorded 65 species in just over four hours Hobby, Sedge, Willow and Cetti’s Warbler were the other sightings of note.
Saturday I join Roger Booth and Hersham Ringing Group at Queen Mary Reservoir for their bird banding session. 

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