Kingfishers and Goldfinches

Friday 15th November was a fine dry day with a cold northerly breeze, the riverside looking autumnal under a clear blue sky. The river was flowing fast but much less muddy than of late , so clear one could see the river bed in places. 

Poplars still clinging on to their leaves

The first birds seen were our winter visitors, fieldfare, in a small group (5) flying across towards the west. A robin flew up from the river into it's own territory, a Hawthorn overhanging the river where it perched in the sun listening to another robin singing in the distance. It had been quiet - but once one robin had dared to sing, more joined it in song, no doubt claiming their territories along the river. (9) 

Making its way surreptitiously along the back of a thicket was a redwing - even seen in the shade its profile and behaviour gave it away before its colours were seen. Obviously hungry it was making short work of the remaining hawthorn berries and choosing small sloes as well. Other shadowy forms indicated more redwing foraging, moving continuously, unlike our 'local' birds which seemed more intent on finding a sunny spot in which to feed, preen and warm up. Other visitors from the cold north were blackbirds (11) and starlings, (53) suddenly increasing the usual population numbers on the riverside - and goldfinches too. The starlings in past years usually roosted or gathered together on two semi-bare oak trees which were felled in order to create the new playing field. Since then starlings have still returned to the area each autumn and this year have taken over a nearby Blackthorn thicket where they can be heard whistling and feeding on the sloes, dropping down onto the damp grass to select invertebrates too. They always station lookouts on the upper branches.

Two Goldfinches were seen in a thicket then a group of 9 flew across, a few more in the sunshine, then large numbers appeared, feeding greedily on the abundant brown Ash keys hanging form the otherwise bare branches. Standing close to a willow and Ash tree they took no notice of me at all, too busy feeding, with safety in numbers. 25 more flew across into another Ash tree - I counted at least 85 all busy on various trees. In places they shared the trees with blue tits and great tits but these were foraging for insects rather than seed (49), (16). Normally a good deal of bickering - and with goldfinches, singing, would accompany the sightings but today all were intent on feeding.

Chaffinches (6) and Greenfinches (4) were quiet too all enjoying the sun. A small bird on top of an oak, silent but fast moving was a Chiffchaff with a second chiffchaff seen nearby, both collecting insects with split-second timing. These small warblers have chosen to stay with us over the winter rather than take off on the long journey south.

A treecreeper swiftly moved up the trunk of an oak on the bank of the river and an elusive bullfinch called from inside a thicket whilst a silent wren flew low across into the tangled roots. Further on another wren was heard singing, the only one heard today (2). A single large bumblebee flew across the river too - climate change means we are finding the large bumblebees such as the Red-tailed bumblebee still flying in November. House sparrows (40) in groups were seen moving around in the dense undergrowth on the opposite bank of the river, giving short calls but otherwise unusually silent. probably indicating that they were aware of the presence of a predator nearby. Urgent alarm calls from a blackbird rang out and a sparrowhawk flew up from the river and plunged straight into a hawthorn bush. It did not emerge - perhaps it had caught what it was chasing, or was just hiding away preparing for another attack. It was obviously still hunting in the same area when I returned later as blackbirds were still giving nervous calls.

In the air, herring gulls (25), black-headed gulls (22) (just one on the grass) and crows (7) flew with and against the north wind whilst magpies (4) jumped around in the oaks with just a single jay heard amongst the leaves, annoying the squirrels. About 20 wood pigeons were feeding on the rough grass and three separate flocks flew over the fields, disturbed from their foraging grounds (120). They soon disappeared, leaving a buzzard gliding high over the oaks. A cry from a herring gull caused me to look up again to see a fine male kestrel being harassed by the gull but it quickly slipped away and headed for  an area of disturbed ground, hovering briefly at intervals where it had a good chance of spotting mice or voles. The sun was so low,  lighting up the leaves still on some trees with a yellow and golden glow and amongst the fallen leaves a song thrush was foraging. It then flew off leaving another thrush higher on a nearby branch, fattening up on sloes in the blackthorn, not moving much. This one was however a mistle thrush, larger, its markings and colour showing up well in the sunshine.

The star of the day, or possibly two stars -

A bright orange flash of underbelly - a bird flew across from the wooded bank turning into the sun, then low down along the river showing a brilliant blue back as it flew upstream between the high banks - A kingfisher enjoying the good conditions now that the river is less muddy. Fallen branches across the river slow down the fast flow and create sheltered backwaters where fish can circulate and feed without being washed downstream - and the kingfishers can survey them from these branches over the water.   

The cold wind was increasing, with clouds running fast over the landscape but looking down onto the river about half a mile further upstream where the steep sides and river-bed willows form a sheltered  environment - a flash of blue low over the water - another kingfisher dashed downstream - or was it the same one?