Eakring Bird news
March 2007
Featuring news and sightings from Eakring
 
March 1st
A windy morning to open the month and generally very quiet in the area today. The highlight was yet another Merlin, this time an adult female which was seen very well in the Lound Wood and Eakring Flash area, before heading low west over Red Hill. This is the third Merlin record this year and continues the present increase in records annually.

Common Buzzards today included singles over Red Hill and Lound Wood (presumed the same) three Common Gulls went west with a single Black-headed Gull and 52 Fieldfare were near Lound Wood.

     
March 3rd
Five Goosander (four males and a female) on Eakring Flash this morning, with a pair of Shelduck and three Tufted Duck there. Common Buzzards included three at Hare Hill Wood and one in the Eakring Flash and Lound Wood area. A search for Jack Snipe at Eakring Meadows, revealed just one bird present this morning. 23 Golden Plover flew south-west over Eakring Flash.
     
March 4th
A good morning, but often very quiet for lengthy periods. Highlights were the 23 Whooper Swan that flew west over Eakring Flash at 08:03h and the long-staying adult Peregrine which was causing havoc amongst the large Wood Pigeon flock (around a 1000 birds) in the Eakring Field Farm and Parkhill Plantation area. There was the beginnings of Spring migration this morning, with 121 Fieldfare, two Greenfinch, two Meadow Pipit, single Goldfinch and Yellowhammer all through north and north-west. In another visit to the area today, two Jack Snipe were at Eakring Meadows and still one Long-eared Owl was in the roost near Kersall (per Robin and Rosemary Brace)
     
March 6th
An afternoon visit produced the adult Peregrine hunting Wood Pigeon in the Eakring Field Farm area again, before drifting off south-west towards Parkhill Plantation and a single Common Buzzard over Hare Hill Wood.
     
March 7th
A very quiet morning with little about despite the fine weather. The only bird of note was a Common Buzzard over Lound Wood.
     
March 10th
A slight increase in the number of migrants passing over today, with a few Meadow Pipits and odd Pied Wagtails starting to move. Area rarites today were a Woodcock along the edge of Hare Hill Wood, one Long-eared Owl in the usual roost and a Jack Snipe at Penny Pasture Common. Four Common Buzzards were noted at Hare Hill Wood (three) and Lound Wood.
     
March 11th
Very quiet this morning, but a male Peregrine flew north over Lound Wood at 07:20h. Only a few Meadow Pipits moving through today.
     
March 15th
An afternoon visit produced a Common Buzzard at Lound Wood and two large groups of Fieldfare totalling 250 birds at Red Hill and around Tug Bridge Farm.
     
March 16th
Five Common Buzzards were over Lound Wood today (per David Smith)
     
March 17th
Still very quiet in the area today. Two Common Buzzards were over Hare Hill Wood and the Shelduck pair were at Eakring Flash this afternoon.
     
March 18th
Very windy conditions today meant that little was moving through. The first Sand Martin of the year flew south-west over Eakring Flash early morning and was the area's earliest ever by a week. Still no sign of any Chiffchaffs in the area yet though. In fields at Eakring Flash were 30 Fieldfare, 35 Linnets and four Pied Wagtails, which may all have been grounded migrant birds.
     
March 20th
Windy again this morning and still no migrant activity or any new arrivals. The windy conditions has also currently halted any visible migration through the area.

A pair of Goosander were present on Eakring Flash all morning, but the morning's best birds were a Redshank along the western side of Eakring Flash, till it flew off north-east at 07:15h and a female Merlin that flew through low north-west an hour later.

Around 60 Fieldfare and 30 Linnet are still in the cultivated set-aside fields adjacent to Eakring Flash.

 
     
March 22nd
A selection of scarce Winter species in the area again this morning. The two Goosander remained at Eakring Flash with a Shelduck, two Pochard, four Tufted Duck and six Teal there. Yet another Merlin (shown below) seen today, this time a male hunting the small Linnet flock at Eakring Flash and even pausing briefly for some quick photographs. Five different Merlin have been recorded already this year. At Eakring Meadows, still one Jack Snipe and a single Common Snipe present on Penny Pasture Common.
     
March 24th
A very quiet morning. The only birds of note were a Common Buzzard around Eakring Meadows and a flock of 102 Golden Plover at Eakring Field Farm
     
March 25th
The low cloud and north-easterly winds this morning saw an unusual selection of birds moving through the area.

A single Waxwing flew low north over Eakring Flash at 09:55h and could possibly have been in Eakring village yesterday, when I thought I heard one call, but could not locate it. A Redshank flew north-east over Eakring Flash at 07:55 and some gull passage today, saw single groups of 19 Herring Gull south-west, 32 Black-headed Gull south-east and six Common Gull north-east. 177 Golden Plover flew east and north-east. There was a small increase in visible migration counts this morning, with hints that when the wind dies down, large numbers of passerines will move north. Some counts this morning included 32 Meadow Pipit, 18 Fieldfare and seven Linnet north-west.

An afternoon visit provided a male Peregrine over Kersall, till it flew off south-east, five Common Buzzards were over both Kersall village and Hare Hill Wood, with two other birds at the other end of the recording area, over Red Hill. The first Chiffchaffs finally arrived today, with singles near Kersall and in Hare Hill Wood.

     
March 26th
Fairly quiet again this morning with very misty conditions meaning little was moving through. Once the mist lifted into low cloud, there was a trickle of Meadow Pipits (26 north and north-west) but very little else. A Woodcock along the old hedge at the southern-end of Eakring Flash, was extremely noteworthy and the third bird seen this year. 132 Golden Plover were at Eakring Field Farm and ten Teal were on Eakring Flash.

A late evening visit to the Eakring Flash area saw two Common Buzzards fly low north over Lound Wood and possibly going to roost. There was one definite migrant through north-east this morning and one of the two evening birds seemed much darker than any of the local Buzzards. The Shelduck pair flew into Eakring Flash and seven Meadow Pipits unusually set off north over Lound Wood at dusk.

 
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