Minwear/Canaston/Toch woodland areas 2/1/08

In the shelter of a forest ride (a regular feeding area for pheasants) there were good numbers of woodland birds feeding on crushed oats - including c.150 chaffinches, 30+ greenfinches, 20-30 bramblings, numerous titmice including at least 6-10 marsh tits. In plantation areas, numerous siskins feeding on larch cone seed, plus a sprinkling of lesser redpolls but only seen in ones or twos. Fairly large numbers of blackbirds everywhere.

A flock of at least 40 stock doves were feeding in sheep-grazed kale - being kept on their toes and regularly disturbed by a peregrine and a buzzard. There appeared to be a locally high concentration of dunnocks feeding amongst the tall kale. I estimated (from calls) that there could have been at least 15-20 over approx 1/3 of the field - they uttered alarm calls when the peregrine flew over.