I've been visiting Hollingbury Camp, just north of Brighton for a few years but only recently started looking for and listing the birds, previously I have concentrated on the plants - there's some nice chalk downland specialities there. Anyway, I started birding in earnest last year and as the Camp is only a few minutes from my house by foot it has become my 'local patch'. I get up there between two and four times a week, often very early in the morning come rain or shine (and lately, snow) and am gradually getting to know the avifauna. All the usual stuff is there of course but I've been delighted to discover large numbers of Goldcrests, linnets and yellowhammers, things which I had simply never noticed before. I've yet to see anything genuinely unusual but nevertheless am enjoying just getting to know the patch. For example, I'm still learning how to predict whether it'll be good, average or terrible ( Just wood pigeons, BH gulls and magpies). There seems to be very little correlation between temperature and bird activity, and as for time of day, well I thought that recieved wisdom was that early mornings and evenings were always best, not so in this case as midday can often be more productive! There was a massive crop of haws on the hawthorn this winter and I have been dreaming about running into a bunch of Waxwings, but so far drawn a blank (sigh). I'm very much looking forward to the spring influx now that the snow is finally receding, and am hoping for winchats and redstarts (well I can hope can't I?). Anyway seen so far- Not a particularly impressive list is it? However - this means theres loads more to add!
Black headed gull, Blackcap, Blackbird, Blue Tit, Chaffinch, Chiffchaff ,Collared Dove, Crow, Dunnock, Goldcrest, Great Tit, Greenfinch, Green Woodpecker, Herring gull, Jackdaw, Jay, Kestrel, Lesser Whitethroat, Linnet, Long Tailed Tit, Magpie, Redwing, Robin,Skylark, Song Thrush, Starling, Stonechat, Wood Pigeon,Yellowhammer.
Chris
Black headed gull, Blackcap, Blackbird, Blue Tit, Chaffinch, Chiffchaff ,Collared Dove, Crow, Dunnock, Goldcrest, Great Tit, Greenfinch, Green Woodpecker, Herring gull, Jackdaw, Jay, Kestrel, Lesser Whitethroat, Linnet, Long Tailed Tit, Magpie, Redwing, Robin,Skylark, Song Thrush, Starling, Stonechat, Wood Pigeon,Yellowhammer.
Chris