Another great visit to Southfields Farm today where I had the pleasure of seeing John (the owner of the farm) during my walk, it was good to see him and have a quick chat.
I really wanted to see some Autumn/Winter visitors today and was only slightly let down because I saw plenty of Redwing and Fieldfare which possibly numbered in the hundreds, I only ever saw them flying overhead or from one tree to another in the distance so I didn't get to observe them closely but all the same it was great to know they were there especially in those numbers, funnily enough it was a similar story with the Linnets, even though they were present in good numbers I only saw them briefly fly up into the air only to come back down again in another part of the field where the over winter seed is grown for them by John, it was also only at the very end of my walk where I was lucky enough to see Yellowhammer in the hedgerows.
Birds seen today were, Kestrel, Buzzard, Blue Tit, Great Tit, Chaffinch, c.40 Goldfinch, Linnet, Yellowhammer, House Sparrow, Dunnock, Starling, Robin, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Fieldfare, Redwing, Blackbird, Jackdaw, Carrion Crow, Magpie and Woodpigeon.
Being as John grows plenty of seed for the birds he hasn't put any seed down on the track yet, that will be around Christmastime so it will be well worth visiting then when the tracks will be awash of birds including, Yellowhammer, Tits, Finches, Robin, Dunnock, House Sparrow and Blackbirds.
After what seems like an eternity I finally got out do some much needed birding today which was to Southfields Farm in Coleshill because I thought it wouldn't disappoint and of course it didn't, what's not too like about hearing literally hundreds of House Sparrows chirping away before you've even got out of the car, they adorned the hedgerows all around the farm house, what a wonderful sight and sound !
Apart from the House Sparrows other highlights were seeing a flock of c.20 Yellowhammer, seeing the return of the Linnets where the autumn/winter feed is grown especially for them also observed in among their number was a Stonechat which is a bird I haven't seen for a very long time, above the same field Skylark were present which could be heard as well as seen, in the adjacent field there something you very rarely see these days, sightings of hundreds if not birds numbering in four digits, there were literally hundreds of Woodpigeon, Feral Pigeon, Jackdaw (that's some in the last photo), Carrion Crow Starling and Black Headed Gull, it was a sight and half when I disturbed them and they all took to the air, thankfully as soon as I'd walked passed they went back to their foraging.
Birds seen today were, Yellowhammer, Stonechat, Linnet, Skylark, Blue Tit, Great Tit, Long Tailed Tit, Chaffinch, Goldfinch, House Sparrow, Dunnock, Robin, Jay, Blackbird, Jackdaw, Carrion Crow, Woodpigeon, Feral Pigeon, Magpie, Pied Wagtail, Pheasant (cock), Cormorant (flying overhead) and Mallard on on the small pools.
The only disappointment was not seeing any Fieldfare or Redwing, hopefully there will be some present on my next visit.
