Monday 28 February 2011

SEAN FLYNN LEAVES PENKRIDGE - BIRDS ARRIVE!

Two emails tonight, one from Sean Flynn saying he is leaving us for a few days and the other from Richard telling us of some Bird Visitors to Penkridge.
Sean is off on one of his fun and fund raising ventures in the 4x4 - read all about it by clicking on the link at the top of the Penkridge Website.

And Richard tells me that the new Bird visitors to Penkridge are:
Waxwings at Pillaton, South of the hall.
A pair of Goosanders and probably 4 in total at the confluence of the Penk and Whiston Brook over the weekend.
The Little Egret was seen on the Penk on Friday last.
A Pair of Bewicks Swans in flight over Micklewood Cottages recently.
And Tree Sparrows are coming and going from three of his seven bird boxes.

To add to the above  - Redpolls are turning up in my garden quite regularly at the moment in small numbers.  Song Thrush was singing recently as are several other garden species.    A brief view of a Blackcap (overwintering bird) in the garden recently too.

And finally, the Hazel Catkins are fully out, lots of other buds appearing and today I noticed that the Snakeshead Fritillaries have sent their leaves into the air on my front lawn.   A sad event to mark this last day of February is that the Monkey Puzzle Tree in Haling Road (The Marsh) has been felled as it had died gradually over the last twelve months.   Can anyone tell me whether we have any others in Penkridge and if so, where they are?