Weekend 4th & 5th February

As we know, the snow arrived on Saturday afternoon.  It was just about the time I was in Red House Park that the first white flakes were seen, and when I got home it was beginning to properly snow, although it didn't deter a Redwing in the tree outside my lounge window keeping vigil over the gardens.

A lady walking through the park noticed I was looking at the birds (I guess binoculars around my neck were a bit of a giveaway too), and asked to identify a bird she had seen.  It turned out to be a Redwing, and about 20 meters later a few were seen in the hedgerow at the back of the Newton Road gardens.  I did try to take a photo, but it didn't come out very well on my on my phone.

My first sighting on Sunday was a male Bullfinch along with a glancing view of a Chaffinch on the edge of the park.  Although the park was quite busy with people enjoying the snow I still managed to spot nearly the same as I usually do.  The best tick of the day was a Nuthatch near the Newton Road end in a tree the Starlings usually occupy.  It was quite high up and I nearly managed to strain my neck, but the views were brilliant as it stood out against the wet, dark bark of the tree.  A Redwing and Song Thrush were rummaging through the leaf litter at the top of the Woodland Walk path, and Wrens aren't so shy as they have been it seems as a few were seen in the Woodland Walk area.  Blackbirds were all around the park along with Great Tits and Blue Tits and Long tailed Tits were seen in the lower areas of the Park.

I didn't manage to see a single Starling on Sunday, so I don't know what happened there.  Perhaps they found better feeding elsewhere with the weather turning.

Along with the regular water birds, a lone Herring Gull was seen Saturday on the ponds, although on Sunday did bring out a pair of Gadwall.  The BHG's were skating over the ice in a competition to be fed as people throwing bread to the ducks, with about just enough water (that hadn't frozen) to accommodate everyone.

The best thing about the weekend sightings were 8 Redwings, 1 x Mistle Thrush , 1 x Fieldfare as well as Blackbirds in the tree outside my lounge window on Saturday and 8 x Redwings and 4 x Fieldfare on Sunday.

Weekend Park Sightings:

            Saturday                                        Sunday

• Song Thrush                                    Bullfinch              
• Long Tailed Tit                                 Blackbird
• Blue Tit                                            Robin
• Great Tit                                          Chaffinch
• Goldfinch                                         Blue Tit
• Chaffinch                                         Great Tit
• Jackdaw                                          Long Tailed Tit
• Blackbird                                         Jackdaw
• Crow                                               BHG
• BHG                                                Crow
• Starling                                           Nuthatch
• Wren                                               House Sparrow
• Canada Goose                               Wren
• Mute Swan                                     Canada Goose  
• Mallard                                           Mallard  
• Moorhen                                         Coot
• Coot                                               Moorhen
• Dunnock                                         Gadwall
• Pigeon                                            Magpie
• Magpie                                           Redwing
• Robin
• Herring Gull
• Redwing