MONTGOMERYSHIRE BIRDS: Tree Sparrow surprise

Notable Recent Sightings

20/05	Osprey	Lake Vyrnwy. Circled over behind the Hotel midday before drifting E/NE
10/05	Gadwall	Llyn Coed y Dinas. Pair & Common Sandpiper, Oystercatcher, 3 Shelduck, female Wigeon
09/05	Black Tern	Llyn Coed y Dinas. Still present at 9:45am
08/05	Black Tern	Llyn Coed y Dinas. Present all day plus brief Redshank, 2 Common Sandpiper & nesting Cormorant
27/04	Cattle Egret	Llyn Coed y Dinas. A bird this afternoon is 2nd county record
17/04	Great Skua	Machynlleth. One over, heading inland, is first in county since 1973.
17/04	Ring Ouzel	Lake Vyrnwy. Single plus Cuckoo & Whinchat.
14/04	Common Sandpiper	Llyn Coed y Dinas. Plus Water Rail, Great C. Grebe, Shelduck & Hirundines
14/04	Black Redstart	Middletown. Single this morning.
11/04	Black Redstart	Carno. Male briefly this afternoon.
08/04	Brambling	Llandyssil. 30+ visiting garden.
06/04	Common Sandpiper	Llyn Coed y Dinas. Plus Great C. Grebe, Red Kite, Tufted Duck, Reed Bunting, Chiffchaff, Teal
04/04	Goldeneye	Llyn Coed y Dinas. Female still plus 32 Teal, 20 Tufted Duck, 1 female Wigeon, 2 Shelduck, 2 Oystercatcher, 150+ Sand Martin, 3 Swallow, House Martin.
15/03	Pochard	Llyn Coed y Dinas. Single showing today plus Goldeneye
09/03	Pochard	Llyn Coed y Dinas. Pair Pochard, Goldeneye, pair Mandarin & Chiffchaff
07/03	Tree Sparrow	Wern. 4 on garden feeders (present 6th-8th)
06/03	White-fronted Goose	Dolydd Hafren. 2 present from 5th
03/03	Pochard	Llyn Coed y Dinas. Two plus Goldeneye still
02/03	Chiffchaff	Powis Castle. Singing bird
27/02	Tree Sparrow	Llansantffraid. Single on garden feeders still
23/02	Pochard	Llyn Coed y Dinas. Still present
22/02	Blackcap	Guilsfield. Single male, also on 8th Feb
22/02	Shoveler	Llyn Coed y Dinas. 2 drakes & 2 Pochard, female Goldeneye, 2 Oystercatcher, 8 Lapwing, 120 BHG
17/02	Pochard	Llyn Coed y Dinas. Still, plus female Goldeneye
16/02	Tree Sparrow	Llansantffraid. Single on garden feeders
15/02	Pochard	Llyn Coed y Dinas. 2 distant plus 2 Oystercatcher
08/02	Hawfinch	Machynlleth. 5 in yews at cemetery this pm
04/02	Hawfinch	Machynlleth. 3 in yews at cemetery & 2 Barn Owl nr Sewage works at dusk
25/01	Brambling	Llanidloes. Large flock still at at Pen-yr-allt Wood 300+ today
20/01	Waxwing	Newtown. Single at the college
20/01	Goldeneye	Llyn Coed y Dinas. Female present still
18/01	Waxwing	Newtown. Still 2 at at the college
17/01	Goldeneye	Llyn Coed y Dinas. Female present
17/01	Waxwing	Newtown. Two at the college this afternoon
15/01	Brambling	Lake Vyrnwy. 60+ under beeches along road near Lakeside Hide
13/01	Brambling	Llanidloes. 500-600 at Pen-yr-allt Wood most of week - best around SN956857
13/01	Goldeneye	Llyn Coed y Dinas. Female present
13/01	Waxwing	Newtown. Single at the college still present
09/01	Waxwing	Newtown. Single at the college still present
08/01	Waxwing	Newtown. Single at the college still present
07/01	Brambling	Llanidloes. 400+ at Peny-yr-allt Wood in beech near the little car park but mobile
06/01	Waxwing	Newtown. Single at the college from 5th
04/01	Goldeneye	Llyn Coed y Dinas. Female still plus a few Mandarin
04/01	Hawfinch	Powis Castle. Present plus male Blackcap
03/01	Blackcap	Welshpool. Male at Buttington
03/01	Waxwing	Llanidloes. 32 at bottom Bryn du Road 1.45 - 3pm, no sign since. Earlier, 40 reported Buttington Cross Welshpool mid morning but no sign afterwards
02/01	Hawfinch	Powis Castle. 20+ in the park today
01/01	Lesser Sp. Woodpecker	Powis Castle. One in the park this morning
30/12	Hawfinch	Powis Castle. 14 in the gardens
28/12	Goldeneye	Llyn Coed y Dinas. Still plus 2 Peregrine, Wigeon, Shelduck
20/12	Pintail	Llyn Coed y Dinas. 2 drake & female Goldeneye still
19/12	Goldeneye	Llyn Coed y Dinas. Female type still present
13/12	Goldeneye	Llyn Coed y Dinas. Female type present and Pintail reported this morning only
		See Sightings Archive for older records

Thursday, April 05, 2018

Tree Sparrow surprise

Two tree sparrows in our garden have been a lovely surprise on this beautiful sunny spring morning. We haven't seen any here since Feb 2017, when we saw one on 4 consecutive days. We put sparrow nestboxes up then, in the hopes of attracting them to breed, but no luck last year, and this year the house sparrows and a starling have already shown interest so there may not be any vacant properties.

By 3 o'clock this afternoon we had a trio of tree sparrows (or should it be a 'tree-o' - sorry), feeding on the red millet we have been putting out for months now, in the hopes of attracting them. Until today, nothing has touched it - now several species are feeding voraciously on it, including collared doves, chaffinches and house sparrows, and we are rapidly running out!