Designer Stubble

Like George Micheal, I am developing a rather unnatural obsession with stubble. I clocked this particular field behind Deeside Industrial Park last week and keen to add some difficult to find farmland birds for my Flintshire list - not to mention a chance of a Waxwing on the estate proper - I decided to hop over there this morning.

When I arrived the area was teeming with birds; not perhaps the ones I had expected but between 800-1000 Fieldfares and circa 100 Redwings feeding on hawthorns that were absolutely dripping with berries.

A spectacular sight and well worth checking out over the weekend - the line of trees runs adjacent to a brook that also has a public footpath running next to it enabling great views.

Also chocker with birds was the bare plouged field running parallel to the road into the steelworks. A massive flock of Lapwing, plus a decent numbers of Skylarks made up the lion's share of birds, with smaller numbers of Reed Buntings, Starlings and Linnets.

It looks like this field may have good potential over the coming weeks. Who knows, I may get to see a Grey Partridge, Tree Sparrow or Corn Bunting in Flintshire yet!

With fifteen minutes to spare, I mooched over to Shotwick Fields to run the rule over the Swans.
Some retard had decided to let three Whippets roam around the field, so the birds were a little spooked. It did have one advantage though: they all had their heads up. Around forty Whoopers present, plus a lonesome Bewicks...

Another birder from Lymm who joined me briefly also picked up a Merlin bombing across.

Until later.