I spent the whole day covering Bardolf Farm which includes the Water Meadows. There was no rain despite the low cloud which gave me the opportunity to travel light and walk the fields on top of the ridge!
Wildfowl numbers are increasing with the Canada’s drifting onto the meadows in small groups, all 156 having arrived by 1030hrs. I noted 60 – 70 flying N over Puddletown as I was returning home therefore there are still a good number of geese that have not visited the meadows!
Bird of the day was a Pintail which looked like a 1w male. The picture was taken from the road which is a fair distance for my 300m lens! The two tone bill, greyer feathering and white neck and belly indicating a male the striking head pattern had not completely formed during the moult.
The Swan Goose re-appeared and I noted some white around the base of the bill which is common in Swan x Greylag hybrids therefore it is likely this bird is a hybrid!
Two groups of Egyptian Goose were seen flying S over Puddletown total 26 birds. This is not the first time in recent times these birds have been noted in flight. I wonder if they are commuting between Silverlake and a lake in the Milborne St Andrew area.
A Peregrine was noted at Waterbarn Cottages having ambushed and devoured a pigeon earlier in the day!
The finch flocks are still scattered about the Farm with mixed millet seed fields holding Linnet, Yellowhammer, and Chaffinch. One feeding station is already attracting the latter two species along with Dunnock and House Sparrow.
There is a sightings blog for the above:-
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