Canons Farm - Mud Glorious Mud!

I had almost forgotten how dull and dreary winter is in England having travelled to the southern hemisphere to enjoy their summer while the folk of Inglaterra endure short daylight hours, cold or rain filled days! The good news is the daylight hours are getting longer by a few minutes each day and it is mild for the time of year!

The public footpaths around Canons Farm are still boggy with standing water on the aptly named Bog Field. This is where all the passerine activity is at the moment and who knows something unusual may drop in if only to freshen up before continuing its journey! 

Most of the Linnet and today the Chaffinch were in this area. A small group of Pied Wagtail dropped in on the pond late on. A few gulls and a flock of Starling, Fieldfare, Redwing and Skylark were also present. The latter come into roost near the Owl field. No Owls seen or heard today.

The only noticeable difference today was the relative lack of corvids but perhaps the gamekeeper has popped a few off pushing the main flocks back towards Banstead Woods!

I am keeping up my species average 32 today but I don’t expect great numbers but this venue is always worth a visit if only for the peace and quiet at this time of year!

Canons Farm - Bog of a Field!

I found bird of the day at Canons Farm almost immediately I got out the car having parked at Canons Farmhouse. It was a bright sunny day but the wind was howling over the open fields making the temperature a tad chilly. 

The Peregrine had at least caught lunch and was busy tearing it apart on the far side of the field. The crow could only wait in the feint hope that some scraps would be left at the end of the meal.

The Linnets were in two flocks today I clicked 173 whilst they were feeding but there could have been more in the area. Thrush watch at Lunch Wood was not very productive at all but it appears reasonable numbers were taking advantage of the now flooded Bog Field with Fieldfare 71, Redwing 12, a Song Thrush and a few Blackbird seen before dusk. A couple of Pied Wagtail a Meadow Pipit, Starling and a handful of gulls were also recorded.

Plenty of common passerines dotted about the trees and hedgerow but I did not bump into any Yellowhammer today! The water is not deep enough for ducks but maybe a passing shorebird might drop in before it dries up!

Thirty two species recorded which seems about average for the Farm. I do not generally cover Banstead Woods.

Canons Farm - Plenty of Passerines!

I have been keeping a casual eye on Canons Farm limiting my visits to a few hours. This gives me enough time to scour the fields for the Linnet c200 today and Chaffinch 66 birds. The former came together as one group during the latter part of the day. 

The Chaffinch was feeding at close quarters at the back of the watch point. Skylark was also seen in several small flocks today.

At around Mid-day I ventured past Lunch Wood and continued watching from the log. I have seen a regular passage of Fieldfare 159 today whom I can only surmise they are going to a feeding area as roughly an hour later they all return flying towards the L & G building. There was mixed flocks today including Redwing 46 and a few more Skylark making the total 31.

The L & G field had its usual array of regular passerines and a single Common Gull who was very keen to attract my attention. There were not many gulls on site Herring and Black Headed were seen passing overhead.

Yellowhammer was divided between Canons Farmhouse and the back of Lunch Wood. The biggest group was 7. A couple of Buzzard was being chased about by the corvids that still have a few Rook present.

Thirty two species recorded today on the Farm!

Canons Farm - Grubbing Around!

A day which can be best described as grim with regular showers during the afternoon. The sun did appear for about an hour giving the passerines enough time to escape cover and feed. 

A Buzzard had the same idea feeding on worms in Bog field. This is a pale bird which was commuting from a nearby tree giving short flight views.

There was a small movement of Fieldfare over Lunch Wood in the afternoon. The bushes lining L & G don’t have too many berries therefore not many Redwing around. Yellowhammer were seen at Lunch wood and the Watchpoint but apart from that not much around. I could not find the main Linnet flock today. I saw a couple of small groups buzzing around the fields by Canons Farm.

Canons Farm - A Glorious Day!

A perfect brisk sunny day with minimal wind had me take another short journey to Canons Farm. I saw Roy Weller at the parking area at the farm had a catch up and then travelled light to cover areas of woodland for passerines that would be taking full advantage of the sunshine.

As I was walking up the hill to Lunch Wood a low flying Red Kite honed into view. The bird completed a couple of circuits of the wood then continued E at 1245hrs. This species is common in Surrey but I never tire seeing this graceful scavenger.

Lunch Wood itself had a good mix of passerines including a dozen Yellowhammers that were using the trees as a viewpoint before dropping down onto the field. Treecreeper, Goldcrest, Blue, Great and Long Tailed Tit were busy feeding on the buds on the branches. Lower down Robin, Dunnock and Wren were keeping busy in the scrub.

I clicked 129 Fieldfare initially flying NW over the wood into the thin line of trees many returning SE later on in the afternoon. I returned to the watchpoint late afternoon to watch 42 Skylarks come in to roost. A couple of Little Owl was heard just after dusk. Gull numbers this afternoon were low despite the farmer ploughing bog field.

Thirty six species were recorded on what was a very pleasant day with my feathered friends!