Corn Bunting Survey 3 2021

   
Some photos and video from my last Corn Bunting survey of this year. The camera was filming in UHD where the vibration reduction doesn't work, they're a bit shaky. I use the 125 zoom to confirm ID, it's easier than carrying a scope.

There were 9 or 10 singing male Corn Buntings, one wasn't singing and some weren't singing constantly, but the amount of droppings on the dyke in the video makes it look like a frequent singing post. I can't say whether numbers, which are slightly down from last year were affected by the winter snow, or simply the reconfiguration of the crops on the farm. This year there are more fields of grazing cattle, as well as Onions and Potatoes, but where cereals are grouped together the Corn Buntings seemed to have higher concentrations.

I only saw a few Skylarks when compared to the first survey when I had around 18 male birds singing over the fields.

There were three separate flocks of Swallows of at least 70 birds in each flock dispersed around the farm. Nearer the cliffs they were replaced by House Martins and a few Sand Martins.

I'm usually lucky to find any Partridges, but on this survey I recorded 3 separate pairs, I didn't see any young but I didn't go looking for them.

I see Wheatear adults each year early in the season and again this year there are juveniles on the farm.

Over the three surveys in May, June and July I recorded Corn Buntings, Yellowhammers, Reed Buntings, Peregrines, Skylarks, Whitethroats, Roe Deer, Brown Hares, a Fox, and 19 Puffins as well as common birds.

Corn Bunting taking a break from the singing, click here     Wheatear juvenile, a bit shaky, click here  

Swallows, click here      Bird-watcher watching, Roe Deer buck  

Near miss at Lunan Bay, click here   This was filmed from the dunes at Lunan Bay the day before a helicopter was required to rescue some swimmers. Two women on inflatable rings were being blown out to sea by an offshore wind. One fell off, or rolled off then slowly swam while pushing the other back towards the shore.

I've never seen a Corn Bunting singing from atop tattie shaws before, or posted such a poor photo of one. All photos here taken in poor conditions with the P1000

Green-veined White Butterfly, just a few seen on the overgrown paths

Ringlet Butterfly, at least 35 seen and mostly in one area of the path

I flushed a male and female Roe Deer, they must have been sleeping as I was very close when they got up

There were Swallows sitting in small and sometimes large groups around the farm

Difficult to say exactly how many juvenile Wheatears were around, it could be 3 or 4 mobile birds or two broods. Wheatears appear to have bred on the farm for the last five years

Drone Fly, Eristalis tenax

Tardigrade - Water Bear, the toughest organism on the planet? Withstands heat and cold +300 and -300 degrees, vacuums, space, boiling water and pressure ten times greater than the deepest oceans! Allergic to Kryptonite? It has it for breakfast!

Not seen on this survey....