CROSSBILLS AND "SMALL FINCHES"+ 3/10/13 garden sightings

Pretty good for Berkeley but absolutely awful for the area which I check. Redwing have been sighted along the river at Oldbury Power Station and Sharpness but none for us yet. Last years 1st of the Autumn sighting was on the 8/10/12 but hopefully I will see at least one before this date.

Garden sightings

Opposite houses

• The Lesser black backed gull in winter plumage on the same house as yesterday and whenever he flew off he was back on the same house in the same spot.
• Feral pigeons
• Collard doves
• Wood Pigeons
• Corvids
• Starlings
• 2 magpies

Trees

• 1 blue tit
• 3 magpies
• Corvids
• Collard doves
• Wood pigeons
• 11 gold finches
• House sparrows

Flying over

• 4 swallows
• 2 meadow pipits
• 100+ gulls of at least 5 species- herring, common, black headed, lesser and greater black backed gulls.
• 2 pied wagtails
• 1 buzzard
• Corvids

Berkeley interesting sightings

• A "small finch" flock of about 10 flew around and landed in some trees by the local school. They were small and stayed at the top of the trees before flying off. Didn't see any markings on the wings due to it being quite dark in the morning- probably SISKENS with LESSER REDPOLL
• 1 Meadow pipit
• 2 COMMON CROSSBILLS- juvs flew south over the Marina's (pub) together. Was bigger than a goldfinch which flew over just after and looked a little bigger than a green finch but wasn't obviously green and wasn't calling. 1st sightings in Berkeley for me.
• No sign of Ring necked parakeet although no further looks for the bird.

Other interesting birds

• 8 white fronted geese at Slimbridge WWT
• Bewick swans should reach Slimbridge WWT by the 20th and are, at the moment, in Holland  due to the Easternly  winds we had.