Firsts and lasts

Good numbers of House Martins were lingering on, though no sightings today so at the minute the last record is down for the 9th October. Today was our first sighting of a Siskin in the Nature Area this year, however! Adger spent an hour or so in the hide and photographed a female, a nice surprise, shame neither Allan or I have seen one here yet. The day started well with a pair of Ravens cronking overhead and ended even better as a Red Kite passed over the hide :)

Red Kite - Salehurst, East Sussex, 10/10/2015

Signs of September

On the 6th September last year we photographed a pair of Grey Wagtails on the barn roof, so I mentioned it would be worth keeping an eye out. Yesterday I saw a Wagtail flying over and going by the call it was definitely not a Pied, so I presumed it was the Grey - and today we confirmed the sighting. Obviously it's the time of the year when the Grey Wagtail appears so we will hopefully have the opportunity to photograph one in the coming weeks.

Another visitor which is not common at other times of year but has been regular in the past week or two is the Coal Tit, both outside the shop and in the Nature Area.

We've seen a Raven on a few occasions recently, including today as one was being pestered by a pair of Buzzards. A Hobby graced the skies above work a couple of times this week too, again at a very similar time to when we saw one last year.

There's still dozens of House Martins here, it will be interesting to see how long they hold on for as the 'Salehurst' Swifts have been gone for over a month now.

Late July and August Birding

 Our Owl Display, Beer and BBQ event on the 18th July was a huge success once more - with plenty to do and fine weather, the day was enjoyed by all who attended. Owls About Town had a smaller Parliament of Owls this year, owing to a busy schedule and a longer journey since their recent relocation to Selsey, but as always they spent the entire day ensuring no-one was left out, even forgoing lunch! In the garden, the barbecue was more popular than ever and our optics tent looked great and allowed us to demonstrate and advertise just some of the binoculars we sell.

The main event in the farm house garden

'Boris' the Tawny Frogmouth (not an Owl!)

The past month or so has been relatively quiet on the bird front at Feathers, as is typically the case at this time of year. Feeders at Allan's house and even at home seem to be busier than they are at work, with Allan's Siskins in particular feeding regularly.

Juvenile Siskin

On the 30th July we were entertained by a family of Goldcrests, as always, unperturbed by our presence, at one point coming too close to focus with my camera! None-the-less, they're not easy to photograph and despite there being numerous birds and the two of us taking hundreds of photos, we couldn't come up with anything fantastic, though a Wren did sit up nicely while we were there.

Juvenile Goldcrest

Jenny Wren

 Sometime around the end of July/ early August saw the departure of the Salehurst Swifts, though the House Martins are still around.

On the 6th August , a Hummingbird hawk-moth visited the buddleia which is growing out of the wall outside the shop.

On the 4th August and again on the 21st, at least one Raven was calling on its way overhead. When we first added a Raven to our list, we expected it to be a very rare occurrence, but it seems nowadays they are becoming more widespread and though it's not fair to say they are regular, it's certainly no longer a big surprise to see one.

Last but not least, a Treecreeper made a brief appearance this morning to the post outside the shop. It was in and out too quick for photos, but needless to say we'll be keeping a keen eye out today as we haven't photographed one in a few months!

First Brambling and other sightings

The first Brambling of the winter for us turned up on Saturday, unfortunately neither Allan or I were there to spot it but a keen young birder called Liam was on hand to spot and photograph it. He kindly sent us the photos he took of this beautiful bird.

A pair of Ravens were around late last week too, only a brief sighting as they passed over. The Grey Wagtail is back, always nice to see. A Green Woodpecker yaffled as it picked up from the lawn of the house over the road, and a Kestrel was calling just now as I type.

The feeders have been getting busier still, with daytime temperatures now around 9 or 10° and night time at 6 or 7°. Still perhaps a bit above average for this time of year and certainly no more frosts forecast but hopefully we'll see some colder weather in the next month or so which may bring the Brambling (and hopefully others) back. Our visiting 'charm' of Goldfinches is numbering 20+, though 1 photo doesn't always show how busy the feeders actually are. I took almost 100 of one feeder in the Nature Area and then stitched a few together in photoshop after to emphasize it!

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