Weekly Wildlife
The birds are waking from their winter slumber…
…and its not just cricketers who have been enjoying the cricket pitch this week. 🏏
We’ll kick off with with a winter migrant that has been seemingly absent from the UK forests and fields this winter, until now. On the Cricket Pitch next to the visitor centre up to 50 redwings have been seen, which is a pretty respectable number considering the small numbers the UK has seen this winter.
Unfortunately redwings are not big people fans and usually hang around in the middle of the pitch with the local mistle thrush who also enjoy the quiet safe space the pitch offers.
Redwings are a little smaller than a black bird and have a brown back, two yellow stripes that go straight past their eye which explains the ‘viking’ nickname they are often known as. They also have a striking red patch that goes just underneath their wings which makes them so recognisable in flight.
Redwing by Indy Kiemel Greene
Bird number two is the song thrush. They have also been making a guest appearance on the cricket pitch. Unlike the redwings, the song thrush can come incredibly close. Along with the redwing and the mistle thrush, they have also been enjoying the great abundance of worms and other little grubs they find out on the pitch.
Song thrush by Indy Kiemel Greene.
Song thrush will set their territory boundaries by singing at the very tops of trees. These stunning songsters have a very recognisable song, repeating a whole manor of different notes twice every time.
In the mornings and early evenings their song echos beautifully through the forest. Bouncing from tree to tree, letting all the other song thrush in the area know that they are not welcome.
Singing song thrush, by Indy Kiemel Greene
Just like the lesser spots and the great spots, the green woodpeckers have been busy drumming and calling on Budby over the last two weeks. With their green back and belly and their startlingly-beautiful red cap they really stand out from the crowd up in the trees and in flight. ❤️💚
Green woodpecker by Indy
Let us know what you see!
Remember to fill in the recent sightings book in the Visitor Centre. Leave your comments on our Facebook page and tag us in your Tweets on Twitter if you have any wildlife sightings or identification queries.
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