Late-morning, a female Goshawk was briefly picked up flying northwards, quite low over Bunting and Bog Fields, by Steve Gale and Geoff Barter, but it was soon lost behind trees. This constitutes the third site record (after singles in 2005 and 2010). Rather intriguingly, a large accipiter was seen in the area last week (GB), so could suggest that a Goshawk is using the area. A small, but colourful arrival took place, with the year's first Willow Warblers, 5 Wheatears, 2-3 Common Redstarts and at least 6 Swallows north.
Canons Farm: 3 CORMORANT (flying NE), 1 GREY HERON, 14 COMMON BUZZARD, 1 GOSHAWK (♀ seen flying low, moving north, above Bunting/Bog Field, 81st species recorded this year), 2 SPARROWHAWK, 3 KESTREL, 3 PHEASANT, 7 ROSE-RINGED PARAKEET, 4 GREEN WOODPECKER, 2 GREAT SPOTTED WOODPECKER, 1 LITTLE OWL (Bog Field), 100 STOCK DOVE, 250 WOODPIGEON, 12+ SKYLARK, 6 SWALLOW (singles north), 200 CARRION CROW, 3 ROOK, 75 JACKDAW, 2-3 COMMON REDSTART (1 or 2 ♂♂ around back of Reeds Rest Cottages, a ♀ in bushes alongside Harrier Field), 5 NORTHERN WHEATEAR (4 in Infront George/Skylark Fields, 1 Bog Field), 1 COAL TIT (Page's Acre), 4 LONG-TAILED TIT, 4 NUTHATCH, 4 BLACKCAP (Ruffett Wood, Circle Field), 2 WILLOW WARBLER (Lunch Wood, 82nd species recorded this year), 2 CHIFFCHAFF, 30 LINNET, 6 GOLDFINCH, 7 YELLOWHAMMER
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| Female Sparrowhawk, Pages Acre, 12/04/16 (Duncan Jennings) |
Other wildlife: Butterflies: 12+ Brimstone, 16+ Small Tortoiseshell, 4 Peacock
Observers: Geoff Barter, Steve Gale, Duncan Jennings