What a lovely start to the year, the weather was superb, clear skies but chilly. We had spent the night with our friends Debbie & Nick at their home just south of Salisbury, Wiltshire.
I got up at 7am and left the house as it got light at 7:30am my first bird of the year was a Eurasian Magpie (pica pica) which flew up from the garden lawn.
I restricted my walk to local lanes and the suburbs of the village and listed just 20 species. All the common garden birds were noted together with a Goldcrest.
Later in the day I went for a much longer walk over the chalk downs with Nick. We crossed open fields, meadows and climb a chalk ridge from where we could see down to the coast, Southampton was in view with the Isle of White in the background.
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| A view of Salisbury from the chalk ridge |
I listed several new species for the new list: A flock of Yellowhammers (12), Raven (2), Common Kestrel were seen in the fields whilst a Mute Swan sat in a distant pool.
On the return journey we walked back along country lanes passing through a couple of villages where we founds all 5 winter thrushes: Blackbird, Song Thrush, Mistle Thrush, Redwing and Fieldfare. We also saw Jay, Lapwing, Common Buzzard and Herring Gull.
2013 Annual list so far:
1. Magpie
2. Robin
3. Jackdaw
4. Rook
5. Chaffinch
6. Blackbird
7. Blue Tit
8. Common Pheasant
9. Wood Pigeon
10. Great tit
11. Goldcrest
12. Dunnock
13. House Sparrow
14.Collared Dove
15. Common Starling
16. Goldfinch
17. Carrion Crow
18. Gt Spotted Woodpecker
19. Common Buzzard
20. Mute Swan
21. Yellowhammer
22. Eurasian Kestrel
23. Jay
24. Fieldfare
25. Redwing
26. Song Thrush
27. Mistle Thrush
28. Northern Lapwing
29. Herring Gull
30. Common Raven
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