Winter Bird Walk, 28th January 2023
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Late January at Monkton Combe on a still morning during RSPB's Big Garden Birdwatch weekend, we began our Winter Bird Walk. A raven was our first treat, close up in St Michael's Churchyard, then a woodpigeon, and next several doves making for a hole below a slipped roof tile. Eyes up to the church roof - a jackdaw. Moments later, a lone swan flew high overhead.
On from the church along Tucking Mill Lane: Long-tailed tits, blue tits, a crow, a blackbird, a gull, the sound of geese and a pheasant below by the river. As we approached our stop opposite the garden feeders, there were two cormorants in the river meadow to our left.
We paused at the feeders: Coal tits, a marsh tit, a dunnock, great tits, blue tits and a robin. Onwards to Tucking Mill, by the lake: a magpie, a moorhen and mallards. As we began to retrace our steps, a charm of goldfinches appeared in the sky.
I make that 22 bird species.
Our huge thanks to our guide, Tania Orgill, who shared not only her knowledge and experiences of birds, but also gave us abundant local wildlife information.
Written by Sue Monk
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Left: Robin Right: Dunnock
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Left: White Dove Right: Snowdrops in the Churchyard
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Left: a swan flies overhead Right: Bird watchers at the lake
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Photos by Tania Orgill. A very special thanks to Tania from the Wild About Bath team for stepping in and agreeing to lead this walk on our behalf!
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Vixen calling for a mate
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Have you been awoken in the middle of the night by a horrendous noise and thought there was a murder happening in your street? Don't worry, it's (probably!) just the foxes! Now is the time of year that foxes start calling for mates. New males may sneak into other foxes' territories and they may even fight! This does, sadly, mean that the majority of foxes killed on roads at this time of year are males. In fact, the average life span for a fox in the UK is only one to three years - mostly because of cars. Without this, they could live to be up to nine years old! With any luck, all will go well for your neighbourhood foxes, and you may even be lucky enough to start seeing their cubs out and about in the coming weeks.
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Although spring has yet to arrive, there are tell-tale signs that it is just around the corner: winter aconite and snowdrops are blooming, and there are even reports of bluebells and daffodils peaking their sleepy heads out of the chill soil already! Trees are budding, birds are getting more active in the morning and the days are slowly... slowly getting longer. What joy! I am looking forward to having the sun on my face again and seeing swathes of green once more.
In the meanwhile, have you been outside at night to spot the comet yet? Comet C/2022 E3 (ZTF) will be at its closest to Earth from February 1st, athough the weather and the bright moonlight might put pay to seeing it! It should be visible to the naked eye, though best viewed with binoculars or telescope. Allow your eyes to adjust to the darkness before trying to spot it. If you can't find it, the technologically inclined may wish to download the app called SkyPortal to locate it, or alternatively you can view it virtually via the Virtual Telescope Project who will livestream it on 1st Feb.
Have you been thinking about what actions for wildlife you should take this year? How about putting up some swift boxes? Swifts migrate from Africa every year and breed in the UK. They form 'screaming parties' and in early summer you might see (or hear) large groups of them swooping and screaming overhead as they catch food, insects, in the air. They like to nest in high deep crevices, but because our houses are better built and repaired than ever before, their nest sites are dwindling and they are now on the UK Red List of conservation concern. Well, how can you help? Luckily, Stewart Owen from the Bath RSPB Swift Group has agreed to come and teach us all about swifts, how they are really doing in Bath and how we can help them. On the night we will be taking names of interest of people who would like to have a swift box (or several) installed this year, and of course, refreshments will be provided. Come and have a natter and find out more about these absolutely fantastic little birds! See details on how to register below.
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You are now able to book for events using Eventbrite if you follow the links. The outdoor walks have small numbers so it may be good to book early, but let us know if you are not able to come so your place could be made available to someone else.
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Talk: All About Swifts
Friday 3rd Februay 7-8.30pm
Stewart Owen will join us to provide insight into the life and habits of this remarkable species of migrating bird. We will also be taking names of those who may be interested in installing swift boxes in 2023.
Refreshments will be provided!
Herons and Peregrines Walk
Saturday 4th March 10-11.30am
Join us to look for nesting herons at the local heronry and to see if we can spot the peregrines as they start to get ready to lay eggs.
Talk: Meadow in My Garden
Tuesday 21st March 7-8.30pm
Paul Jupp from Meadow in My Garden joins us to talk about their work and how to create a wildlife friendly garden.
More events will be posted on the website as the dates are finalised.
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- The Wild About Bath team
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