MONTGOMERYSHIRE BIRDS: Tree Sparrow surprise

Notable Recent Sightings

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
28/11	Goldeneye	Llyn Coed y Dinas. Female present
25/11	Great White Egret	River Dyfi. pm, about 1 mile west of Machynlleth
22/11	Blackcap	Guilsfield. Male & female in garden
30/10	Lapland Bunting	Lake Glaslyn. One reported top section of track leading to MWT Lake Glaslyn (SN837952). Present all day 30th, not seen since.
27/10	Shoveler	Llyn Coed y Dinas. Single drake
19/10	Great White Egret	Aberhafesp. By River Severn 3pm
17/10	Yellow-browed Warbler	Newtown. Single in woods opposite leisure centre
29/09	Wigeon	Llyn Coed y Dinas. 10 present
26/09	Great White Egret	Llyn Coed y Dinas. Early morning - then flew down river 9am
24/09	Lesser BB Gull	Llyn Coed y Dinas. 300+ pm.
22/09	Sandwich Tern	Lake Vyrnwy. 5 early afternoon from Old Village CP
16/09	Manx Shearwater	Llanidloes. One crash landed in garden. Safely released Aberystwyth
02/09	Snow Goose	Montgomery. The feral bird again at Lymore Pools associating with 20+ Greylag
02/09	Hawfinch	Churchstoke. 2 flying north
01/09	House Martin	Sarn. 1000+ streaming south at 7.30pm
27/08	Hobby	Guilsfield. One over this morning
26/08	Osprey	Penstrowed. Heading towards Newtown along R.Severn 2pm
10/08	Common Scoter	Lake Vyrnwy. Two drakes off dam this morning
28/07	Hobby	Lymore. Single this morning
21/07	Hobby	Middletown. One over, also a Peregrine
28/06	Osprey	Lake Vyrnwy. Single passing through
17/06	Great Black-backed Gull	Lake Vyrnwy. Pair am, plus a few each of LBB and BH Gull & Goshawk
03/06	Snow Goose	Llyn Coed y Dinas. One escapee plus adult Mediterranean Gull
02/06	Mediterranean Gull	Llyn Coed y Dinas. Single distant on island
23/05	Hobby	Cors Dyfi. Single today
10/05	Lesser Whitethroat	Llyn Coed y Dinas. Singing male present
04/05	Hobby	Lake Vyrnwy. Adult over today
29/04	Whimbrel	Llyn Coed y Dinas. One over plus Arctic Tern
25/04	Whimbrel	Dolydd Hafren. One in front of 2nd hide this morning
24/04	Garden Warbler	Guilsfield. Two today
23/04	Swift	Welshpool. One over drifting west
19/04	Cuckoo	Lake Vyrnwy. Also Grasshopper Warbler
18/04	Arctic Tern	Llyn Coed y Dinas. Single through
16/04	Snow Goose	Montgomery. Single at Lymore Pools (presumed feral escape?)
16/04	Whooper Swan	Lake Vyrnwy. 3 on lake (am) & Short-eared Owl on moorland
14/04	Common Sandpiper	Llyn Coed y Dinas. Single plus Blackcap
11/04	Hen Harrier	Cors Dyfi. Male present
08/04	Pied Flycatcher	Foel. A male has arrived, also one at Pwll Penarth
05/04	Wheatear	Lake Vyrnwy. One along Gadfa road
05/04	Tree Sparrow	Wern. 3 at garden feeders
04/04	Whooper Swan	Lake Vyrnwy. 5 from Lakeside Hide
04/04	Swallow	Llyn Coed y Dinas. 3 today
03/04	Black Redstart	Guilsfield. One in private garden from 2nd but no sign on 4th
30/03	Egyptian Goose	Llyn Coed y Dinas. Single & Mediterranean Gull (this also 29th), Sand Martin
27/03	Mediterranean Gull	Llyn Coed y Dinas. 2 adults displaying
22/03	Osprey	Cors Dyfi. First returning bird of 2018 today
21/03	Snow Goose	Caersws. Presumed escape associating with Canada Geese by river early this morning. First seen yesterday evening, bird doesn't appear to have leg rings
17/03	Hawfinch	Guilsfield. 2 in private garden today & Brambling
16/03	Hawfinch	Powis Castle. 7 in the gardens
16/03	Mediterranean Gull	Llyn Coed y Dinas. Adult present mid pm
13/03	Chiffchaff	Llyn Coed y Dinas. Singing bird 10.30am
07/03	Hawfinch	Lake Vyrnwy. Single in Hirnant Valley late pm
06/03	Pochard	Llyn Coed y Dinas. Pair plus 4 Mandarin Duck (3M, 1F), 14 Goosander, Water Rail
04/03	Pochard	Llyn Coed y Dinas. Pair plus Shelduck, Water Rail
02/03	Jack Snipe	Montgomery. One in private garden
22/02	Hen Harrier	Cors Dyfi. A male today
17/02	Hawfinch	Powis Castle. 2 plus Green Woodpecker
11/02	Lesser Sp. Woodpecker	Powis Castle. Plus 4 Hawfinch
04/02	Pink-Footed Goose	Lake Vyrnwy. 30+ heading north at 11am. Also Goshawk, Willow Tit
31/01	Pochard	Llyn Coed y Dinas. Female & Shoveler(m), 13 Snipe, pr Oystercatcher, Shelduck
31/01	Merlin	Welshpool. Male, top of Red Bank/Laundry Lane & 4 Redwing
26/01	Great White Egret	Llangurig. Bird mid afternoon in field west of town
21/01	Blackcap	Llanymynech. Female at garden feeders
19/01	Whooper Swan	Aberhafesp. 14 (4 juv) just below village on left of the second rise going through from the Newtown direction.
18/01	Pochard	Llyn Coed y Dinas. Single fem. still & 5 Goosander (3m, 2f), 14 Snipe, Shelduck
18/01	Whooper Swan	Aberhafesp. c12 presumed Whoopers at west end of Aberhafesp pm
16/01	Pochard	Llyn Coed y Dinas. A single female
14/01	Pochard	Llyn Coed y Dinas. A singleton
13/01	Barnacle Geese	Llyn Coed y Dinas. 6 long staying birds still & 8 Goosander, Water Rail
10/01	Hawfinch	Powis Castle. 2+ plus Sparrowhawk, Goosander, Kingfisher, Green Woodpecker, 50 Fieldfare & 30 Blackbird
07/01	Whooper Swan	Caersws. 2 adult north along river Severn, seemed to drop near Aberhafesp
07/01	Pink-Footed Goose	Lake Vyrnwy. 140+ (91, 24, c25) & 17 Whooper Swan over heading west am
06/01	Pink-Footed Goose	Lake Vyrnwy. 39 over heading N to NW, afternoon
06/01	Whooper Swan	Aberhafesp. 6 present
		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!