Five Nuthatch Fledglings

Migrant Blackcaps arrived on Hilly Fields in early April this year, perhaps slightly delayed by uncooperative weather. Three males were seen in the park that month, but there was no sight or sound of that other common spring migrant, the Chiffchaff. The highest count during our monthly survey was  60 Starlings. A Greenfinch was heard of which more later. The Black-headed and Common Gulls that had been living off the Hilly Fields worm population all winter were gone. The complete count was 3 Blackbird, 3 Blackcap, 2 Blue Tit, 3 Crow, 1 Collared Dove, 4 Goldfinch, 1 Great Spotted Woodpecker, 1 Great Tit, 1 Greenfinch, 2 House Sparrow, 2 Magpie, 1 Nuthatch, 1 Pied Wagtail, 1 Ring-necked Parakeet, 7 Robin, 60 Starling, 1 Stock Dove, 4 Woodpigeon, 8 Wren.

Starlings gang up on lone Gull.

The highlight of our May survey was seeing five Nuthatch fledglings. This is the second, possibly the third year in a row that Nuthatches have nested in the park. Perched on a maple branch close to where the path separates the north and east fields, they waited while their parents scouted for food. A pair of Great Spotted Woodpeckers was also seen and five Swifts soaring overhead at one point. The complete count was 3 Blackbird, 2 Blackcap, 4 Blue Tit, 2 Crow, 10 Goldfinch, 2 Great Spotted Woodpecker, 2 Great Tit, 1 Herring Gull, 10 House Sparrow, 2 Magpie, 7 Nuthatch, 2 Pied Wagtail, 2 Ring-necked Parakeet, 10 Robin, 30 Starling, 5 Swift, 3 Woodpigeon, 4 Wren.

Nuthatch fledglings...

...anticipating food.

During our June survey, we were surprised to hear two Chiffchaffs singing. As we haven't heard or seen them in April and May, it's unlikely they've nested in the park, but more likely to be visiting from another local site. We also saw a female Greenfinch on the Lane which is not a common sight. Greenfinches are not fazed by humans staring through binoculars at them or pointing cameras and will stay in the same position for as long as it suits them. You can just about see the 'heavy-looking conical bill' (RSPB).

                     

On the opposite side of the Lane, a female Great Spotted Woodpecker preened for at least five minutes which means I should really have got a better photo. But there you are.

The complete count for June was 3 Blackbird, 2 Blackcap, 2 Blue Tit, 4 Crow, 2 Feral Pigeon, 6 Goldfinch, 2 Great Spotted Woodpecker, 2 Great Tit, 1 Greenfinch, 3 House Sparrow, 1 Long-tailed Tit, 2 Magpie, 2 Nuthatch, 3 Ring-necked Parakeet, 7 Robin, 3 Starling, 1 Swift, 2 Woodpigeon, 6 Wren.

Incidentally, if you're wondering where 'the Lane' is or any other locations mentioned, take a look at our new site map on the home page and right click on it to get a readable version.

Reminder: our new booklet Birds of Hilly Fields, produced by the Friends of Hilly Fields, has been selling well, despite lockdown. The feedback has been good, but we still have plenty of copies in stock. At present, it's available online (see link below) and can be purchased either by itself at £3.50 or with a tote cotton bag and postcards for £10. The link is https://supportmylocal.org/store/rachel-mooney/ We deliver to your door within a radius of 2 miles and all profits go to the Friends of Hilly Fields. 

                                        

RSPB Big Birdwatch 2021

 We've been holding Big Bird Watch events on Hilly Fields on the last Sunday in January since 2009. Alas, Covid-19 put a stop to that this year, but we managed to do a survey on Friday 29 January in two groups of two. Alas again, it rained from start to finish, probably the worst weather that we've ever surveyed in. Water was streaming off the hill. In the circumstances, a count of 19 species was not too shabby, particularly as it included 150 Black-headed Gulls in the north field which is probably a site record, 60 Redwings, 26 Starlings, 25 House Sparrows, 12 Robins and 10 Magpies. Sue also heard a Nuthatch calling and it's good to know that they're still around.  Also recorded were 3 Blackbirds, 3 Blue Tits, 3 Crows, 1 Collared Dove, 7 Common Gulls, 1 Dunnock, 5 Goldfinch, 5 Great Tits, 2 Herring Gulls, 4 Ring-necked Parakeets, 3 Woodpigeons and 1 Wren. We sent our results off to the RSPB for their annual survey.

Black-headed Gull - winter plumage

The reason why we had so many gulls is simple. Rain brings worms to the surface. They listen to the rhythm of the falling rain and slink upward from their burrows. We saw them everywhere on the surface, on paths as well, and the gulls had a feast. Some of the other birds were joining in including the Redwings and Starlings.

Black-headed Gulls breeding plumage in spring

Just a reminder about our new booklet 'Birds of Hilly Fields'. It's been selling well, despite lockdown, and the feedback has been good, but we still have plenty of copies in stock. At present, it's available online (see link below) and can be purchased either by itself at £3.50 or with a tote cotton bag and postcards for £10. We deliver to your door within a radius of 2 miles and all profits go to the Friends of Hilly Fields. It can also be bought from the Hilly Fields cafe when open.

                                       https://supportmylocal.org/store/rachel-mooney/

Big Birdwatch Event: 27 January 2019

Saturday 26 January to Monday 28 January is the RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch - an annual bird count in gardens and green spaces across Britain. And as we have done for the last ten years, the Friends of Hilly Fields will be holding our own Big Birdwatch event on Hilly Fields on Sunday 27th January from 10.30 to 12.30. During that period with your help, we will try to identify and count all the birds in the park.

We'll be based outside the cafe and will have the Big Blackboard on which to record sightings. We'll have fun activities such as seed ball making for children and guide sheets to help you identify the birds you see in the park. Just remember the two golden rules: (i) only count the maximum number of each species that you see at any one time (to avoid duplication); (ii) don't count birds that fly over without stopping - only birds within the park. And if you don't want to attempt it on your own, come on the guided tour which will start at 11.00 approx.

Who's a pretty boy then? Long-tailed Tit admiring itself on Hilly Fields

What birds might you see and hear? Great Tits, Blue Tits, possibly Long-tailed Tits, Robins, Blackbirds, Crows, Magpies, Great Spotted Woodpeckers, Black-headed Gulls, Common Gulls, Starlings, Goldfinches, Thrushes and more. Last year, we recorded 23 species (the most common were Starlings and Black-headed Gulls). Let's see if we can match that this year - or even beat it.

Starlings on Hilly Fields

By the way, children are welcome at this event. It's all about raising awareness of the nature on our doorsteps and the need to support and protect wildlife. And inspiring the next generation to carry that on.

Big BirdWatch 2016

Rain is the curse of bird surveys. It deters the birds from coming out to play and blurs the vision, especially through binoculars and spectacles. So Sunday wasn't the greatest Birdwatch ever! The rain was light but the morning was damp, grey and overcast for the most part. Still, enough people turned up to make it a worthwhile event. Starlings were the stars of the count, seen by most people as they flew noisily in little flocks from trees to trees. 42 was the maximum number recorded. The Black-headed Gulls around the cricket pitch were runners-up with a count of 29. Full stats can be seen on the blackboard below.

 We recorded a total of 19 species in all and had good views of a charm of Goldfinches outside the school and a Dunnock scrabbling around on the ground. We heard a Dunnock singing as well for the first time this year. Towards the end, the sun did fleetingly show itself and a pair of Mistle Thrushes spent some time in the trees opposite the cafe. All you need is to see one beautiful bird thriving in the park like this and it's all worthwhile.

One big plus was to see so many children brought along by their parents. They all had an enjoyably messy time making fat balls and bird feeders throughout the morning. Thanks to Rachel for organising the stall and publicity, to Sandy for helping on the stall, Judith from Glendale for the photocopying (and bringing her mum!), Sue and Keith for helping to lead the guided walks and Lee the park keeper for general support. Here's to next year and hopefully some decent weather. That's not too much to ask, is it?

Winter Is A-Coming In

The start of our monthly bird survey on 18 November was marked by almost simultaneous sightings of a Crow, a Jay and a Magpie - three members of the same avian family, though with very different plumages. After that, the park was fairly quiet and the counts were low despite fine weather. But by the end of the morning, we had seen a good range of species including some Starlings back from their country retreat and noisily rejoicing in trees by the tennis court. Only half a dozen so far, but the numbers will steadily increase. We've had as many as 80 in winters past.

The garden next to the bothy came up trumps again when Sue spotted a Goldcrest - Britain's smallest bird - up in one of the conifers. We have seen it before on Hilly Fields but not often. It loves conifer trees as its thin little beak is ideal for picking out insects from between pine needles. The Goldcrest gets its name from the bright orange patch on its crown, but it's very difficult to see that from below. We also saw the family flock of Long-tailed Tits again and Judith spotted a female Chaffinch - a bird we see (and hear) more often in spring and summer.

After failing to find any Sparrows in the Cliffview hedge, we thought we would have to settle for 15 species. However, after refreshments at the cafe, Sue and Judith spotted a pair of Mistle Thrushes and another Black-headed Gull (or possibly the same one as last month), raising our total to a respectable 17 species. Here is the full list of birds as recorded in our BirdTrack records.

Although the autumn remains mild on the whole, the leaves are falling fast on Hilly Fields, helped by Storm Barney, the tail-end of which was still blowing as we went round. This will help to make the smaller birds more visible in the winter months to come. And by the way, the Friends of Hilly Fields Big Birdwatch 2016 event will take place on the morning of Sunday 31 January. There will be guided walks and children's activities, as well as an RSPB stall. More info soon.

Foliage thinning in the little wood.