Tuesday 8th February 2022 - Burnett

 

This blog is slightly later than normal as I have had trouble with my laptop, and it’s been in the menders for a new screen but now all up and running.

The last walk Tuesday 8th February took the 3 Amigos to Burnett, where we had been told was a large flock of finches including Brambling a species I have not seen since 2019 so it would be great to get this one on our year list. We parked in the village but had no idea where the birds had been sighted, but I had received a message on a WhatsApp birding sight which made no sense to me although David realised it was a what3words location. Realising this I was able to download the app which duly marked the spot where the birds had been seen. As the app was new to us all we were still unsure exactly how to use it, so we set off back to the main road logging Collared Dove, Blackbird, Magpie, Woodpigeon, Carrion Crow and Jackdaw. We were getting no closer to the location, so we returned to the car and set off in the opposite direction adding Lesser Black Back Gull, Blue Tit and Robin to the day’s sightings. We found a footpath which would lead us to the spot on the map, walking along the footpath a flock of Starlings flew over and a male Pheasant was in a field to our right and a Goldcrest sang from an ivy-covered tree on our left. According to the map we were in the right area, but the trees and bushes were devoid of birds except a small flock of flyover Redwings. We reached a 5bar gate on a 90deg bend in the footpath, here we noticed birds dropping down from the trees onto a private farm track, having only a small hole in the bushes to look through we could see many Chaffinches and a few Yellowhammers plus the bird we had come to see a Brambling at least 3 different birds. While watching we could see lots more birds moving through the trees including a flock of Long Tailed Tits. As we continued, we could hear the distinctive call of a Buzzard and as we scanned around, we counted 5, we also found a couple of Great Tits a mixed pigeon flock that contained Stock Doves. A single Jay flew by as we walked back to the car plus a Great Spotted Woodpecker drumming in a tree.A Dunnock and a Wren ended our morning.

spot the woodpecker - Bath Birdwatcher



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