Today I did an early morning route of my local patch. Now I've probably never described this place before, chiefly because I don't really see much there, but it is the area where I bird watch the most. Its an area of farmland which starts literally two streets away, an area that is easily accessible. This is a place where I can be with nature without any effort.
The area has a variety of farming habitats, like arable land, hedgerows and meadows, but due to a lack of woodland and water habitats it is fairly limited in what is seen there. Good populations of farming birds are present chiefly YELLOWHAMMER, LINNET and SKYLARK, birds which are declining in the countryside.
Today there were a few migrants about. An area of cattle grazed grassland, with scattered bushes, acts as an occasional migrant trap, and today there were six or seven LESSER WHITETHROATS about, some CHIFFCHAFFS, and a female BLACKCAP.
On one of the large arable fields, the farmer has allowed the field to go fallow after cutting, resulting in large numbers of "weeds" sprouting up there, which in turn attracted a large flock of 30+ LINNETS, with a pair of BULLFINCHES also present, there melancholy call so very distinctive.
I don't know if there's much about in the wider countryside but at this time of year anything's possible so keep birding.
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