Official - April was cold!

Gaynor F has been recording the weather in Abington for some years now, and recently compared the daily April temperatures for this year, with April 2020. 

This April, she noted a total of 16 frosty mornings, compared with only 3-4 in 2020, and this year both minimum and maximum temperatures were generally lower compared to 2020.

In the graph below, solid lines show April 2021 temperatures, and dashed lines show 2020 temperatures. Blue lines are minimum temperatures, and orange lines maximum temperatures, each day in degrees C.

Great Spotted Woodpecker

After an absence of a few weeks, a male Great Spotted Woodpecker returned to Andy M's garden to take a look around.

Note the red patch on the nape at the back of the head

 - distinguishing the male from the otherwise very similar female.

Granta Park walk

Sunday, 2nd May 2021.  

Andy M took an early morning walk around Granta Park. The field of Cowslip at the site entrance, and the Cherry blossom were a real spectacle in the spring sunshine, and the woods were turning a verdant green as the trees come into leaf.  Chiffchaff, Blackcap and Wren were all singing.

Around the lake a pair of Mute Swan were feeding, as was a Grey Heron, and Reed Bunting were busy singing and pairing up in the reedbed.  Unusually, a Sedge Warbler was also heard singing from deep in the reeds, not a species that Andy had heard there before, and likely a bird just passing through on the way to a larger reedbed. 

Quite a display of Cowslips in the field by the site entrance

Cowslip and Cherry blossom

Cherry blossom along the avenue path

Common Storksbill

Low sun in Sluice Wood

Wych Elm seeds

Chiffchaff

Muntjac

Dappled sun in Sluice Wood

Garlic Mustard

Garlic Mustard

The river in Sluice Wood, near the footbridge

Seeing double!  A pair of Mute Swan

Mute Swan

Grey Heron

Male Reed Bunting

Male Reed Bunting

Male Reed Bunting

A female Reed Bunting, watching the singing males

A male Pied Wagtail displaying to a female...

... who was apparently unimpressed!

Wren

A Greylag goose snoozing in the sun

A few garden insects

A few insects Andy M spotted in the sun in his garden.

Dark-edged Beefly

Dark-edged Beefly

Hoverfly on a Doronicum flower

White-tailed Bumblebee

Tawny Miner Bee

News: Swift seen over Abington - and bang on schedule!

Thursday, 6th May 2021

Whilst walking up Great Abington High Street on Thursday evening, Andy M spotted a single Swift, flying around over the High Street and Mortlock Gardens.  A single bird was again seen over Lewis Crescent on Friday, so it may be that this one is a 'local bird' here for the summer.

This is the first report over the Abingtons this year, and it's bang on schedule when compared to first sightings in previous year over the villages. Considering the distance these birds travel to get here, the first sighting dates are amazingly consistent - between 4th and 7th May in eight of the last twelve years!

2021 - 6th May.     2020 - 5th May.   2019 - 4th May.    2018 - 7th May.    2017 - 5th May.

2016 - 2nd May.    2015 - 7th May.   2014 -11th May.   2013 - 6th May.    2012 - 30th April.

2011 - 6th May.     2010 -12th May.

Photo: Patrick Barkham Guardian website  

Bird food preferences

Until recently, Peter B has been filling his bird feeders with mixed seed and has been disappointed at the lack of variety of bird species visiting - most often just seeing Jackdaw and Woodpigeon.  

So recently, he got a fat-ball feeder, and 'it's been busy!'  He's now seeing Blue Tit, Robin, House Sparrow and Robin, as well as the ubiquitous and persistent Jackdaw. Between them, they managed to consume six fat balls within a day!

An amazing difference, and just goes to show that birds have food preferences too! 

Blue Tit

Blue Tit

Jackdaw

Blue Tit

Blue Tit

Jackdaw

Collared Dove

News: Ring Ouzel on recreation ground

Thursday, 29th April 2021

Late afternoon on Thursday, Maggie and John T were lucky enough to spot a Ring Ouzel on the playing field by the river, along with a group of six Mistle Thrush. Sadly, by the time John rushed home and returned with his camera it had gone. 

Normally birds of more northern heath and moorland, or craggy cliff tops, this bird was likely a migrant travelling through. Ring Ouzel are uncommon in the east of England, with only around 20 sightings a year in Cambridgeshire, with only a handful of reports in the Abingtons since 2020!

Ring Ouzel are visually similar to Blackbirds, the male being black and the female dark brown, but both have a crescent-shaped mark on their upper breast.  In the male, this is white and very obvious, but is more muted and can be harder to spot in the female.

Male Ring Ouzel [photo Wikipedia]

Female Ring Ouzel [photo Wikipedia]