Slight signs of winter

On 30th November it still felt like October on the Riverside with hundreds of small gnats dancing in the sunshine - but here and there Hawthorn bushes were stripped of berries, indicating the fleeting passage of migrant birds halting for a while to replenish their energy supplies before moving on, unseen. Apart from the oaks, most trees and thickets were bare with plenty of deep damp leaf litter on the ground.

Spot the Roe deer browsing....close to the deer were a singing robin, a leaping grey squirrel, a song thrush singing, a green woodpecker jaffling (no partridge or pear tree however)

(click on the photo and scroll to the end to see a larger version).

 Along the river on 30th November were:

Robins, some singing full songs, in quite close proximity to each other, no fighting today (17);  large roaming flocks of blue tits along the thickets, feeding on the still abundant insects (60+) together with great tits, some calling, making full use of insects in the canopy and the understorey (31). A family group of long-tailed tits moved across from tree to tree independently  (6+) , not as part of the roaming flock which was following the course of the river. 

Blackbirds were foraging everywhere leaving no leaf unturned, in Holly, Ivy, Blackthorn, Hawthorn and the thick leaf litter under all the trees (23). Many sparrows added their chatter to the almost spring-like sounds, there were three colonies in different locations, two in Hawthorn hedges and one colony in a Blackthorn thicket (50+). The beautiful singing of a song thrush came from a dense mixed thicket - it has only started singing during the last few days. Another song thrush flew over the river whilst a third was also singing much further down the river. Wrens (7) and dunnock (2) were more easily visible but only two wrens were singing, softly. Chaffinches (3) were still quiet, mainly feeding amongst the leaves on the ground.

A beautiful treecreeper was making its way up a sunlit conifer trunk collecting insects emerging from the bark in the warmth - no shortage of early winter food this year.

Jays (4) and carrion crows (6) were noisily bickering, annoyed by the grey squirrels (5) now having to leap higher and higher into the oak canopy to collect fresh acorns then descend to the foot of the tree to sit and eat. A commotion in a holly tree revealed a large mistle thrush being chased by a blackbird from one holly to the next and back again, a dispute over a future source of food. Nuthatches (4) were calling from various old trees near dense undergrowth where a Roe deer was feeding, almost invisible in the dappled low sun. Another deer was sighted for a second, behind a thicket, before it bounded away, perhaps disturbed by the loud jaffle of a green woodpecker. High on a tree top a male greenfinch was perched as a lookout showing brilliant green whilst woodpigeons sat around on the lower branches but still high up. A slight shower of rain sent more woodpigeons  (10+) across into the trees from the field whilst a magpie flew up from the river, wet, to shake and dry off and three more magpies flew up from their feeding ground on the field. Just one starling was seen on its own, perched on a tree top.

Above the trees a charm of goldfinches flew across, a group of at least 17, chatter-singing and a single herring gull glided over joined suddenly by about 30 black-headed gulls.   

 The highlight of the day appeared low over the river as a flash of bright orange, making a rapid turn along the bend in the river and then away upstream - a brilliant view of the kingfisher, its blue back shining in the sun for an instant.