Neil’s Survey Diary October 2019
Weather wasn’t as bad as I had feared when I undertook the survey (between about 8.30 and 10.30) and in all, I recorded 26 species (I have added a couple from yesterday into the October record as well). Wrens and robins are singing again (robins never stop really) and if you hear a short, explosive burst of song with a flourishing trill to finish from low down in a bush somewhere, that will be a wren.
Perhaps because of the overcast conditions, some common birds were hard to find such as great tit and blackbird and for some reason, chaffinches, one of the most common birds in Britain, always seem hard to find on the park and haven’t been recorded in either of the two surveys I have now completed. Dunnock is one of my favourite little birds and whilst far from colourful as such, I find the grey head and tweed like body rather smart.
Magpies much in evidence, perhaps 10/12 this morning and whilst much maligned (unfairly so in my view) the black and white contrast plus that flash of blue and olive green tail make for a handsome bird.
Having completed the survey, I also took the chance to walk the dog up by the canal and had nice views of a kingfisher so keep eyes peeled for these birds by the lake, there is usually at least one through the winter.