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| Magpie |
 |
| Magpie |
 |
| Herring Gull |
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| Grey Heron |
 |
| Common Gull |
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| Black Headed Gull |
 |
| Mute Swan |
 |
| Mute Swan |
 |
| Mistle Thrush & Blackbird |
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| Mallard |
 |
| Jackdaw |
 |
| Moorhen |
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| Feral Pigeon |
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| Herring Gull |
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| Black Headed Gull |
 |
| Herring Gull |
 |
| Grey Squirrel |
 |
Collared Dove
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Waking up rather later than planned and seeing a lovely blue sky outside I decided that I had to get out for a spot of birding, even if it was just local and for a short time. With gulls from various points of the compass descending on Swannie Ponds last Winter, I decided that it might be worth checking the birds at the ponds. On my last visit I found another Norwegian ringed Black Headed Gull, ringed only this Summer.
I left the house at around 1340 and headed for Clepington Road. A few Starlings perched on chimneys were the only obvious birds initially, with a few others flying around further uphill. A Herring Gull glided over and a Blue Tit flew into a small bare tree in a communal garden. A Carrion Crow cawed loudly from another chimney. Reaching Clepington Road, there was another Herring Gull perched on a chimney top. Feral Pigeons congregated on a rooftop at the Mains Loan crossroads. I headed down to check out the wasteground by Mains Terrace.
In the trees were a pair of Magpies, most likely the local pair I saw collecting nesting material earlier in the year. I managed a few photos before a Carrion Crow flew in and the two birds flew off a short distance. I set off again in the direction of the ponds. A small flock of House Sparrows flew in to the hedge just in front of me adding another species to the list.
Arriving at the ponds a few minutes later I was unsurprised to see the usual species - Herring Gulls, Black Headed Gulls, Mallards, Mute Swans, a Moorhen and a few Tufted Ducks. I was a bit surprised to see a Grey Heron stood on the island, not being a common sight on my previous visits (although a short chat to a dog walker later suggested it is fairly regular these days). A Blackbird flew out from the trees on the island. I managed to find a couple of Common Gulls on the water as well.
I heard a Mistle Thrush calling and saw it disappear into the trees on the island. A little later it showed a lot better perched on a branch by the west end of the island along with a female Blackbird. A Carrion Crow was perched further up and a Woodpigeon was below the pair in the same tree. A Jackdaw overflew and a small group of Feral Pigeons swept around over the ponds. A Great Tit foraged in the trees by the path.
Checking through the Black Headed Gulls I spied one with white leg rings, and attempted to get close enough to read the lettering. I managed to get close enough to see that it was coded J4U2. I had photographed the same bird earlier in the year at the ponds, so it looks like it is back for a second winter (assuming it even left).
I spotted what looked like a clump of oak leaves in the fork of a small-ish tree and thought it looked odd. Minutes later, I discovered the cause. A Grey Squirrel much lower down among the branches having a scratch. It disappeared back up the tree and into its drey, but not before I had managed a photo.
With the light beginning to go, I headed for home, taking the same route back. I added Collared Dove and Greenfinches at the same trees where the Magpies had been earlier and a Dunnock was among the weeds by the pathside at Mains Loan. A Handful of Starlings, Feral Pigeons, Herring Gulls and Blackbirds finished off the sightings before I made it home.
Only 22 species seen but an enjoyable brief wander.
Blackbird, Black Headed Gull, Blue Tit, Carrion Crow, Collared Dove, Common Gull, Dunnock, Great Tit, Greenfinch, Grey Heron, Herring Gull, House Sparrow, Jackdaw, Magpie, Mallard, Mistle Thrush, Moorhen, Mute Swan, Feral Pigeon, Starling, Tufted Duck, Woodpigeon.