The Lyons Share

These metre high Greater Tussock Sedges (NVC community S3) always make me laugh, looking like something from the Dark Crystal, I swear they move around when you're not looking. We went to Amberley Wildbrooks today to discuss management with the RSPB. There were lots of Lapwings and a few Redshank displaying, it was looking really good. Sadly, this Lapwing was predated, probably by a Fox looking at the ends of the feather shafts. Or maybe one of the tussocks got hungry?...

I new today was going to be a good one when I had a singing Firecrest in the first mile! Followed up by a few Siskins over, several Red Kites, Reed Bunting and Stonechat (last two new to the site). I managed to find another Hawfinch too and some Med. Gulls flew over high calling. There was also a Lapwing on the deck which I have seen very rarely on these farm surveys. Just when I thought it was all over I bumped into  flock of 70 Yellowhammers which might be the biggest flock I've seen this winter. Finally, right by the car I heard a Chiffchaff! Also saw my first Comma and Brimstone.

The photo is the carabid known as the Black Clock Pterostichus madidus, a very common ground beetle that I have seen often but I usually see it with reddish legs. The rounded hind angles to the pronotum and the single punctures on the elytra (both visible in the above photo) help to identify the beetle. I'll keep trying until I find a species of Pterostichus that is not madidus! I don't have a clue where the name Black Clock comes from but I like it. I don't take many photos of carabids as they move so quickly!

Oh yeah, I found the remains of a Red-legged Partridge kill and took this photo of some flank feathers as they are pretty smart looking. Perhaps I'll go and look for Early Meadow-grass tomorrow...

OK, the upper of the two feathers shown above is one of the feathers I displayed yesterday and assumed to be a wing feather. Mark Telfer pointed out that they looked like tail feathers so I compared it to some Mallard tail feathers that I collected and mounted as a kid (there wasn't much to do in Staffordshire). Look what I was doing when I was 15!

Anyway, it looks a pretty good match in terms of the proportions. The pointed tip is different (more worn perhaps?) and the feather is clearly darker but roughly similar. I think that this bird could well have been a dark farmyard Mallard brought, in part, from a neighbouring farm by a Fox. The pointed feathers possibly suggesting the tail of a bird kept in captivity? Alternatively, a duck perhaps a little smaller than a Mallard. I am convinced now that they are tail feathers though. Any more thoughts anyone?

I promised to include a photograph of Bittern and Green Woodpecker feathers too as these were  species you suggested, here you go:

I found these feathers in the valley field at Woods Mill today. I can usually ID birds from primary feathers if it's a non-passerine but this was all I could find of the kill and it stumped me. The wing feathers (I'm not sure even what wing feathers they are, secondaries?) look to me like a duck or a wader, I'm not certain on that either. The wing feathers are about 9 cm long but have had the shafts cut off suggesting a Fox or some other mammal killed the bird. Is there anyone out there that recognises this bird as it's doing my head in? I bet it turns out to be something really obvious, I have tried to eliminate the birds I see at Woods Mill but have failed to come up with anything realistic. 'Tracks and Signs of the Birds of Britain and Europe' didn't help much either.

Finally the fog lifts and I can get some surveys done! I have noticed many more 'gull kills' than I usually see today. Wood Pigeons are by far the most frequent raptor kill I find but today I saw four Common Gull kills. Given also that my Dad mentioned the other day he had seen Buzzards taking gulls, I wonder if that is what has been going on down here too? It could just as likely be Peregrines but on this particular farm, Buzzards are very obvious but I have yet to record Peregrine. I don't think I have ever seen a Buzzard catch a bird, I wonder if they drop on the gulls when they are on the ground? It's fascinating how cold weather changes the birds behaviour.