It's been several days since I last blogged so I thought perhaps I shouldn't let it get too quiet! Planned walks over the last few days have largely been scuppered by the weather. I didn't bother heading up to Rainham in search of the Bearded Tits which continue to frustratingly elude me (it's either too windy or "they were there twenty minutes ago" every time) but I did make it up to Roding Valley near Chigwell for the Tuesday work party there. We did a bit of woodland management near the M11 and I nursed my midweek hangover. Birdsong was still in evidence, with plenty of Dunnocks and Robins on full song, but in reality we saw little. Long tailed, blue and great tits were constantly in evidence, and the sounds of Ring-Necked Parakeets echo about the place, squawking over even the din of the M11. Their spread from South London seems to continue, and the mild winter seems unlikely to have done them any harm. Although they are sometimes called invasive, I'm a fan of the parakeets, bringing a splash of colour, and a fantastically loud call, to urban fringe sites long abandoned by our prettier, countryside birds. A problem perhaps if competition for nest sites takes place in some of our ancient woodlands, but not here, and one has to hand it to them, they are stunners.
Stunning too was the little charm of goldfinches which passed me on the path near the car park as we reached the end of the day. They fluttered past me, the yellow of their wing flashes still bright even on what remained a dull day. The only signs of spring, aside from the ever-fuller buds on the trees and a couple of snowdrops on the embankment beside the car park were signs by their absence. The huge volumes of Redwings and Fieldfares we'd been seeing on previous trips were nowhere to be seen. Not a single winter thrush could be seen. Even in the warm spell after the snow in february these were everywhere, foraging on every patch of grass you could find, at least in this area. Our Scandinavian guests must have headed North in preparation for the breeding season. As the breeding season approaches, volunteers at conservation organisations across the country will be moving from carrying out tree work to other tasks, so tree nesters can nest safe from disturbance, in accordance with the law. Responsible gardners, foresters and constructors will also refrain from tree felling over the next few months. We discovered also the very active larva of a beetle, possibly a Devil's Coach Horse, while working near one of the sites' compost heams.
As I got off the train in Upminster a pair of Grey Herons flew over my head, apparantly flying East along the line of the railway, their big wings silhouetted against the sky, now clearing and turning gold in the sunset.
Parakeets are increasingly common round our way. Large numbers commute across the river into Essex every day, the birds you see that passing north/south over Rainham/Purfleet/etc, there's a reasonable number around Corbets Tey, and you can regularly see them around Orsett/Orsett Fen.
ReplyDeleteThere's around 20 on a patch I sometimes watch just outside Orsett. I watched a couple of pairs prospecting nest holes earlier in the year.
I'm not really a big fan. In my uneducated layman's view, every nest hole a parakeet is in is a nest hole that a nuthatch/greatspot/etc isn't in! But I can't claim to be consistent; the site I mention has, or has had, little owls that have bred a few times in recent years. Another introduced hole-nesting species, and one that might concievably compete with the parakeets... but also one I'm perfectly happy to see in the area.