A flock of 30 to 40 geese enjoying the stubble in Flora Field this morning. They were either greylags of pink footed or both, sorry, can’t tell the difference form the distance I observed them.
The new bull has arrived, a fine chunky fellow. Some of the cows were showing a distinct interest this morning so no worries about further calves on the evidence so far.
As the Saturday volunteer group were working along the Long Pads footpath a large flock of linnets were alternating between Flora Field and West Field. Well over a hundred I would say.
On Monday afternoon we saw two shell duck in the West Field wetland and a couple of roe deer peeping out of Upper Sowerholme toward the Fauna path.
Did anyone record the row deer we disturbed last Saturday whilst sowing the Flora Field seed margin? It ran out of Pony Wood and across the ploughed field and into Lower Sowerholme.
A heron flew up from Lucy Brook this morning and I spotted a hare lolloping along in Flora Field.
Walking across Flora Field (arable section) this morning during the volunteering session I flushed a large group of snipe (at least 6, probably 8-10) from the lower northern slope, towards Lower Sowerholme, and then a further 2 nearer Pony Wood. They must have been tucking into small creatures in the recently-spread manure. I was headed for the beetle banks and the water supply points, which needed marking with tape to alert the ploughing contractor, so I certainly didn’t cover the whole field. Maybe next season the flush count needs to include Flora Field as well as the wet areas, at least after the muck has been spread?
It was a very misty morning with low cloud and low visibility, but we heard geese passing over – greylag I think- and several curlews in the distance, down towards the estuary.
Four roe deer spotted this morning in Flora Field heading in the direction of Upper Sowerholme
Sorry I forgot to post Jonathan’s announcement of our proposed tasks for the Saturday session but here is what we actually did:
Fifteen volunteers attended the monthly Saturday volunteering session on a lovely spring morning.
Two members reporting a clear sighting of oyster catchers feeding in Flora Field on Sunday morning.
Two song thrushes busy by the double gates into Flora Field yesterday afternoon.
Plus the heron again near Lucy Brook yesterday morning. And not forgetting wrens which seem to be everywhere in our hedges at the moment.
Whilst marking out the beetle banks ready for the ploughman yesterday I put up a snipe from the marshy area alongside Aldcliffe Road and then disturbed a brown hare which ran off across the Flora Field.
On my way home a song thrush was serenading the Orchard from the trees by the Towneley Close entrance.