Aylesbeare Common 29th December 2004 (by Richard Swinbank)

This winter, our traditional post-Christmas morning walk was at Aylesbeare Common.  There were about 13 of us, several of whom had not been to any of our previous group meetings.  It was quite a quiet morning, so I hope the newcomers weren’t too disappointed that we didn’t see more.  Probably the most conspicous birds were the Carrion Crows, Wood Pigeons and Herring Gulls that kept flying around us all through the walk.  We also got some good views of Fieldfares and Redwings - both of which posed well for us on top of holly bushes at different times during the morning.  However, the Dartford Warblers were not so cooperative; we only got brief views of one bird. I think they like to show off when the sun is shining, but the weather was rather dull that morning.  Nevertheless, it was a pleasant walk, and a lot better than joining the crowds at the Sales.

Birds seen:

Pheasant

Sparrowhawk

Buzzard

Peregrine

Snipe

Herring Gull

Feral Pigeon

Wood Pigeon

Green Woodpecker

Great Spotted Woodpecker

Wren

Robin

Stonechat

Blackbird

Fieldfare

Redwing

Dartford Warbler

Goldcrest

Coal Tit

Blue Tit

Magpie

Jackdaw

Carrion Crow

Raven

Chaffinch

Bullfinch

No. species: 27