On 20th October, a fine sunny calm day - an unexpected visit to the development site by a flock of Meadow Pipits taking advantage of the creation of a large spoil heap yesterday by diggers clearing a wide path. The heap was of top soil, grasses and roots and no doubt contained many insects and seeds. The birds were well camouflaged, only visible when they moved around, at least 35 visible on one corner and probably lots more on the other side, together with a few pied wagtails. More pipits were feeding on the short dry grass, also well hidden. They were still around the following day.
Moving flocks of birds take advantage of whatever is going on under their flight-paths
An ivy 'hedge' is covered in insects feeding on the flowers in the October sun - here's a wasp, just one of many species of insects present.
In the shade, the long grass still wet with dew is covered in spider webs
On Sunday 16th October, a very cold early morning with mist clearing, the rivers flowing clear, acorns dropping from the oaks and a heavy dew (see photo above) - birds active on the Riverside (Boldings Brook and the River Arun and their confluence all at Hills Farm Lane were:
Green woodpecker (1), blue tit (60+), great tit (20+), woodpigeon (24), carrion crow (12), robin (19), magpie (4), wren (7), blackbird (26) - now suddenly far more numerous, house sparrow (33), great spotted woodpecker (1), goldfinch (3), herring gull (15), pied wagtail (3), linnet (1), jay (4) - one burying acorns in the steep side of one of the spoil heaps, jackdaw (1), nuthatch (6), chiffchaff (2), redwing in hawthorn thicket 1 clearly seen and lots more heard in back of thicket at confluence (est 10+), skylark singing over bare ground (1), bullfinch (4) two calling to each other, chaffinch (3), buzzard (2), dunnock (2), grey wagtail in running shallows of river
also grey squirrel (3) collecting plentiful acorns and signs of fox activity. Speckled Wood butterfly (1) and high-flying Red Admiral butterfly (3)
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