With the harvesting almost complete, I thought I would make a trip to Folly Farm and Foxhill to see what was about. As I parked up at the entrance to Folly Farm, the sun came out, which I wasn't expecting, but I wasn't complaining. The first bird to greet me was a fly-by Grey Wagtail, which was totally unexpected. I had thought I might come across a few Yellow Wagtails, but to be honest I needed to be up close to the cattle on the hill. But with Benji with me I didn't fancy upsetting the cattle.
Over the field to my right, as I made my way down to the copse, were 3 Red Kites and a pair of Buzzards circling overhead. There was obviously still plenty going on in the harvested field and as I made my way down the track so several Long-tailed Field Mice shot across the path into the long grass on my left. With the chance of fallen grain, these little mammals were taking a chance with so many raptors around. A loud squeal to my right and sure enough a mouse had met a perilous death. Not by a bird of prey, but I suspect by a Weasel or Stoat.
One of 3 Red Kites gliding over the fields
On the lookout for a free meal
Red Kite
A lot of the vegetation has been cleared along the track down to the copse, to make way for the tractors. But where it laid untouched there were lots of insects feeding on the few remaining flowers, including Flesh Flies, 22-Spot Ladybird, 7-Spot Ladybird, Heineken Fly (Rhingia campestris), Common Nettle-tap moth.
Rhingia campestris
Heineken Fly
Rhingia campestris and on the left possibly a 22-Spot Ladybird
7-Spot Ladybird
Flesh Fly
Wasp sp. !
Common Nettle-tap moth
As I got close to the copse, a small flock of birds flew over my head and a quick look up revealed 11 Corn Bunting and as they passed over the copse in front of me, a few birds in the bushes there began to respond to them flying overhead, with a lot of tweeting. It wasn't until I got to the copse that those few birds were actually 10 birds that quickly took off to follow the other flock.
At the copse a Chiffchaff called, then a Common Whitethroat and then a very subdued sub-song of a Blackcap. It was so quite it would have been really easy to have missed. Also about here a few Speckled Woods and Green-veined Whites.
Speckled Wood sunbathing on the fallen straw
This one sitting on the leaves of a Hawthorn has a damaged wing
And this one is perched on straw hanging off a bush
From the copse I walked a further 100 metres or so up the track and was amazed by the amount of berries on the Hawthorns. Its been a very good year by the looks of it.
The Hawthorns are looking good this year
With masses of berries
As I made my way back to the car a pair of Kestrels flew over the track and one began hovering over the other field on my right, before heading moving further up the field and disappearing over the rise. By the car another Chiffchaff called as did a Blackcap. The one thing I did note though, was that I didn't record a single Yellowhammer.
Kestrel hovering right over my head
And then moves off up the field
Before hovering again
Birds recorded: 3 Red Kite, 4 Buzzard, 2 Kestrel, Black-headed Gull, Herring Gull, Lesser Black-backed Gull, 1 Stock Dove, Wood Pigeon, 5 Swallow, Grey Wagtail, Robin, Blackbird, Common Whitethroat, 2 Blackcap, 2 Chiffchaff, Great Tit, 5 Blue Tit, Magpie, Rook, Carrion Crow, Jackdaw, Chaffinch, Linnet, Goldfinch and Corn Bunting.
Butterflies recorded: 6 Speckled Wood and 3 Green-veined Whites.
Other invertebrate: Common Nettle-tap Moth, Common Amber Snail, White-lipped Snail, Common Earthworm, Meadow Grasshopper, Flesh Flies, Rhingia campestris, 22-Spot Ladybird, 7-Spot Ladybird and a Wasp sp.
Mammals recorded: Several Long-tailed Field Mice and 5 Rabbits
Foxhill
Having spent a good hour at Folly Farm, I drove off to Foxhill to see if there was anything about. It was pretty quiet but 7 Buzzards circling over the fields in the distance was nice to watch. Other birds of note were a Chiffchaff and a Yellow Wagtail.
One of the 7 Buzzards sits on a hedge
Before joining the others. In total there were 7 birds circling.
Birds recorded: 7 Buzzard, large gulls, Wood Pigeon, Yellow Wagtail, 1 Chiffchaff, Wren, Rook, Carrion Crow, Chaffinch, Linnet and Corn Bunting