Saturday Sightings

I had my camera & lens serviced during the week, so I wanted to get out to give it a quick test run before my trip to Andalucía next week. We took a quick scoot out around the lanes around Aldbourne yesterday afternoon, just to see what was about. The area has quite a rich mix of different habitats, with sloping chalk meadows, traditional hedgerows and pockets of mixed woodland, so it's always worth a visit.

Even before we got out of town, we passed the local gang of Long-tailed Tits, hanging out in the trees across from our house. We also spotted a Sparrowhawk hunting starlings just above the car.

Redwing

Fieldfare

 Once we got into the countryside, there were lots of wintering small birds in the fields up on the ridgeline. We saw several large flocks of Fieldfares, Redwings and Goldfinch, as well as a mixed flock of Chaffinches and Bramblings. I always keep an eye out for Grey Partridge in this area, as I have occasionally seen them here - however this time there were only the usual Red-legged Partridge. We also spotted two pheasant cocks having a scrap a the edge of the woods; just a bit too distant for pictures, sadly.

Red-legged partridge

The resident raptors were all in evidence too; we saw 3 Red kites, several buzzards - including one on a kill, a Sparrowhawk, and  two Kestrels.

There was evidently a shoot going on, so there weren't too many mammals to be seen, although we did spot a male Roe Deer sitting down in a patch of long grass.