St Andrews Park monthly bird walk

It was a quiet start to our monthly stroll round the park this morning and I did wonder if we'd see anything at all. However, we were later rewarded with superb views of sizeable Starling and finch flocks making it a spectacular end to this year's bird walks. The full list is as follows:



Starling - a notable and noisy influx of these birds, many no doubt arrivals from the continent.

Greenfinch - a good showing of 10+ birds

Goldfinch - I reckon up to 30 birds in the park

Chaffinch - 7 or 8 birds of both sexes feeding in the canopy

Blackbird - a veritable flock of up to 10 birds, some of which showed the dark bills associated with migrants of central European origin. Brief bursts of song also heard - unusual at this time of year.

Mistle Thrush - 2 rather antagonistic birds gave good views

Blue Tit - several seen feeding high in the canopy

Great Tit - odd birds heard calling

Coal Tit - 1 heard calling near the toilets

Wren - 1 gave good views as it sat on a fence near the bowling green

Robin - 2 or 3 birds singing and showing well

House Sparrow - a small group keeping well hidden in the shrubbery between the bowling green and the pond

Carrion Crow - several seen and heard

Magpie - 3 or 4 birds

Jay - 1 flew over near the toilets

Woodpigeon - 5 or 6 birds

Collared Dove - seemed particularly common today, with 6+ birds seen and heard

Pied Wagtail - 2 or 3 birds flying over or running along the paths

Herring Gull - 1 drifted over the park

Lesser Black-backed Gull - a couple flew over near the pond

Back home in Monty, I saw this tiny bug outside the window - is it some sort of Thrip I wonder?