Menu Close

Autumn Birdlife

Juveline great spotted woodpecker on bird feeder

Mayfield is a haven for spotting birdlife, and we have a number of readers who submit pictures to the magazine. Here we feature the work of Bob Berrisford and Martin Balderson.

“Geronimo”baby starlings taking a bath by Bob Berrisford
Kestrel on the wire by Martin Balderson
Housemartin feeding chicks by Bob Berrisford
A juvenile great spotted woodpecker working a garden bird feeder by Bob Berrisford
meadow pipet on barbed wire
Meadow pipet by Martin Balderson
song thrush
Song thrush by Bob Berrisford
pied wagtail
Pied wagtail by Martin Balderson
rock pipet
Rock pipet from the coasts and cliffs of Dorset by Martin Balderson

Magazine editor Joyce Beeson writes…

We still have an amazing amount of Goldfinches flocking to bird feeders the minute I have filled them up in the morning and they visit them all day long, the most we counted this month at one time was 29, that’s more than last month.

A few Greenfinches still come with them. We have a pair of robins, some
Blackbirds, lots of dunnocks and sparrows, a few bird tits, but not many, not many great tits either. A wren suddenly appeared stayed for a few days and then disappeared, hope it hasn’t met a sad end, we have lots of cats who visit our garden.

A chiffchaff was seen in a garden in Moorlands Drive, they usually leave here for warmer winter places, but some stay. Fieldfares and Redwings will appear any day now, they start their journey in September after spending summer much further north in Scandinavia and Iceland.

The Kestrel still hides in the Ash Tree ready to catch an unsuspecting vole, shrew or a mouse, if they don’t catch one of those they’ll settle for a worm or two. A Crow has spent some time chasing the Kestrel off but it keeps coming back. Barn Owls have been seen again at Calwich and Harlow, they’ll be looking for mice too.

Field mouse feeding on bird feed by Bob Berrisford

Read the full story in the magazine.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *