There are lots of JAYS around at the moment, mainly in singles and pairs
With the mild ending to January it seems that the seasons are all melding into each other, and weather wise there isn't much difference between today and a day in Spring - this could easily be late March. Evidence of Spring came with my first SONG THRUSH, singing in the evening 27 Jan, with one a couple of days later in my garden. This is quite early - I don't usually start hearing them until well into February. However I haven't heard them since. The SONG THRUSH is only behind the NIGHTINGALE as the UKs greatest songster. It bellows out a phrase twice, then moves onto another phrase twice, one which is completely different to the phrase before. Its hard to explain, but the bird is quite common, so listen out for it.
On the permanent pasture of the Suffolk Punch field a BROWN HARE zoomed across, too far and too quick for my camera. I see them occasionally on the patch, but usually they are just passing through.
SNOWDROPS have flowered a bit later this year. They can be found in a small area of scrub at the start of the patch.
There are still signs of winter out on the local patch - an area of farmland behind north west Ipswich. There are at least three REDWING flocks around, numbering around 20-30 with two GOLDFINCH charms again numbering 20-30. There was also a flock of eight STOCK DOVES - a bird that doesn't usually flock - and ten SKY LARKS beginning to establish breeding territories on Lark Field.
Don't know what's happening here - they seem to be burning manure
However one of the features of winter at the local patch - the large YELLOWHAMMER flock - has diminished in size. From a high of 50+ birds at the start of the year to less then ten today, over a period of less than a month, is quite a down turn. This maybe due to the Spring weather forcing birds to start establishing territories, because the wintering flock seems to comprise mainly of local birds. With Spring arriving there is the mad dash to start breeding. However winter came back with a vengeance on the night of 4/2 as there was a snow storm. I shall talk about this on a separate blog.
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