Friday 26th August 2022 - Newton St Loe

 

Today my wife Mary and myself Tony decided a stroll at NSL would be a great start to a Bank Holiday weekend. Parking by the church we walked through a quiet Churchyard and through an equally quiet field and down towards send a cow, here our first bird of the day was a flyover Woodpigeon, Next was a Rook sat in the top of a tree in front of Send a Cow. As we walked on Goldfinch were on the wires and Jackdaws were on the trees at the top of the footpath.  A bird flew into a tree and landed on a branch luckily where I could see it, it was a Nuthatch  and while looking at that I noticed more movement this time by a male Blackcap. The woods were very quiet with just some distant birdsong but nothing showing. At Butterfly Alley Carrion Crows were foraging in the field and a Lesser Black Back Gull was circling overhead and a Great Tit showed in the hedgerow. On the bottom lake we disturbed a Kingfisher that flew up the lake turned and flew back over the outlet not to be seen again. On the far bank were 6 Mallard and on our bank a female with 2 ducklings.

Mallard with duckling-NSL(Bath Birdwatcher)

In the dead trees towards the top end of the lake were 2 Grey Heron. Up to the top lake and the first bird seen here was a Stock Dove which flew across the lake, later another landed on the waters edge only to be chased off by a Mallard. As I was looking up the lake from the dam I notices a Falcon fly across the lake from right to left but it happened so quickly I was unsure what it was but suspected a Hobby, I was lucky enough to se it again later fly into a tree but it landed  and all I could see was its talons clinging to a branch and they appeared to be very orangy red so my initial thoughts were somewhat confused and Red Footed Falcon flashed through my mind but later I saw the bird again and this time had a better view and as I initially thought it was a Hobby, in fact the second I have seen on the patch this year.

Hobby-NSL(Bath Birdwatcher)

 Also on the lake was another 27 Mallard, 4 Coot At least 1 Little Grebe with 1 chick (but probably more) and a minimum of 6 Moorhen. We sat on one of the benches to have our coffee when I noticed the female Tufted Duck was back not seen her for a while. After coffee we continued around the lake and spotted the pair of Mute Swans under the trees on the far bank. Nothing else was seen so it was time to retrace our steps and between the lakes in the top of an old fir tree was a Mistle Thrush and as we walked by the bottom lake a Green Woodpecker flew away landing on the base of a tree. I could hear bird contact calls so on investigation found a mixed flock including Wren, Robin, Blue Tit, Goldcrest and Blackbird. These proved to be our last sightings of the morning. Not great numbers but some real quality.

 

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