Dry after light overnight rain, set to be warmest day of year, cloud clearing from dawn, Light Southerlies
Barleyfield: 05:00 -07:00
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| Barleyfield - looking East an hour or so after dawn |
My first dawn watch for months really was a great experience as Compton Park and The Barleyfield were alive with bird activity.
30+ Magpie were congregating around the back of the existing St. Edmunds Buildings.
On the pitches by meccano Bridge there were 115 Black-headed Gulls, including 10+ juveniles and 12 adult Lesser Black-backed Gulls.
My intention was to head to the top of the Barleyfield and start a skywatch for a short while. I knew it was too early in the year for visible migration, but I was still a bit inquisitive as to what would be noted, including a possible early movement of Swifts.
However my walk up the Western border became quite involved as I was amazed at the number of warblers that were around. They were literally everywhere and, without disturbance many were flying into the Barleyfield itself to feed on insects sheltering on the umbel flowers (parsleys and hogweeds):
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| Beware of Morning light!!! - looks a bit Willow Warbler due to strong light, but the black legs give it away - Chiffchaff |
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| Willow Warbler - longer wings and pale legs. |
The vast majority were Chiffchaff but I was surprised to see 2 juvenile Willow Warbler near the Barleyfield crossings, with an adult singing on the railway walk nearby. A territory had been maintained nearby, but I havn't been down often enough to monitor it.
I decided to attempt a count from the central scrub at the top of the Barleyfield down the Western border to Graisley Culvert and the area by Meccano Bridge. I counted at least 15 Chiffchaff (including two family parties of 5+). It was just so hard to tell whether these were all local birds or whether there was an element of early post-breeding movement involved.
The highlight of other sightings were 2 Yellowhamers, that were picked up by their calls as they headed low South over the top of the Barleyfield. I had seen a single Yellowhammer over this site on 9th August last year.
Other highlights were:
4 Starling SW
6 Greenfinch at the top of the Barleyfield, as numbers start to swell.
Green Woodpecker
Great Spotted Woodpecker
Coal Tit - by Compton Hill Drive entrance
3 Goldfinch
just one Common Whitethroat
4+ young Bullfinches
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