Pype Hayes Park.

Trip out to Pype Hayes today where the day started off with news of a terrible event before I'd even left the car park, I was informed that one of the Mute Swan's (one of this years Cygnets) has tragically been killed on Tuesday night/Wednesday morning. Talking to the locals, reports ranged from a Fox attack to our Easten European friends, looking at the picture of the poor bird cut in half with all the breast meat missing and inspecting the feathers at the kill site, I'd personally say it was one of our Polish brethren, I'd would actually prefer it was a Fox attack because that's natural and the Poles may come back and kill either one of the adults or the four out of the six of this years young that remain.

Then it was off to the park where there were birds scattering everywhere, from Finches and Tits to Corvids and Pigeons, needless to say the culprit was a Sparrowhawk, I don't think it was successful in it's hunt for prey but with the commotion it was hard to tell, as well as the Sparrowhawk hunting there was also a Kestrel hunting the other end of the park.

Highlight of the day was seeing a flock of c.50 Siskin in amongst the trees and also flying over the pool later on in the morning, it's always a pleasure to see some Siskin when your out and about. There was also a sizable number of Goldfinch in and around the trees, possibly fifty or more, but there are always a good number of Goldfinch at this location. Also nice to see was a very young looking Nuthatch foraging around the trees in the gardens.

Birds seen were Sparrowhawk, Kestrel, Siskin, Nuthatch, Blue Tit, Great Tit, Long Tailed Tit, Chaffinch, Goldfinch, Greenfinch, Robin, Wren, Dunnock, Starling, Pied Wagtail, Grey Wagtail, Blackbird, Jackdaw, Carrion Crow, Magpie, Woodpigeon, Feral Pigeon, Mute Swan, Moorhen, Coot, Muscovy Duck, Mallard and Canada Goose.