A Summary of Bird Life

An analysis of records on bird-life in Broadmayne reveals the same frequent visitors to gardens – often attracted by feed-tables – and many observations of nesting in boxes, trees and hedges with the follow-up of adults feeding their young in the gardens. These sightings include blue tit, great tit, coal tit, long-tailed tit, greenfinch, chaffinch, goldfinch, blackbird, mistle thrush, robin, wren, dunnock, house sparrow, rook, crow, jackdaw, magpie, and goldcrest. Green woodpeckers are definitely on the increase and greater spotted woodpeckers have been seen, although these seem to be concentrated in the centre of the village and towards Watergates Lane, to the north-east. Wood pigeons and collared doves are also increasing in number. Compared with recent years, there are now fewer sightings or sounds heard of the song thrush, starling, pied wagtail, bullfinch, house martin, swallow, blackcap, jay, willow warbler, nuthatch, treecreeper, linnet, meadow pipit, chiffchaff, fieldfare and barn owl. A number of birds, previously spotted in the area have not been seen – the kingfisher, little owl, partridge, redwing and corn bunting. There are several reports of skylarks being heard, but the distinctive sound of the cuckoo is less frequent nowadays. Birds of prey are on the increase in the skies above the area - buzzards and sparrowhawks; reports of the latter taking a blackbird, of attempting to take a sparrow from a garden feed table in Martel Close, a collared dove and woodpigeon, as big as its captor, all falling as prey.

Ruth Small - Co-ordinator

Excerpts from the diary of a bird watcher