There can be no finer Beech woods in East Lancashire than Tandle Hill Country Park at Royton. This year there has been a good crop of fruit and as a result the wood now has fifty plus Wood Pigeons feeding amongst the leaves. On the thirtieth October a visit produced several Bramblings, a Woodcock and my first Fieldfares of the Winter – the latest date I have ever recorded for their arrivals.

On Hopwood a Green Woodpecker was seen on the twenty ninth and three Cormorants have been roosting on pylons by the canal.

In the garden the Collared Doves have now increased to a maximum of twelve. The male Sparrowhawk has been three times during the week but not caught anything – as far as we know!

I have spent most of this week working on the Spitsbergen DVD so I have not had much time for ‘birding’

On Hopwood on two separate days I had flocks of thirty five Siskins and eighteen Redpolls – all feeding in the Birch trees. Redwings are still around but I have yet to see Fieldfare – my latest date ever.

Good numbers of Goldfinches are in the garden plus nineteen Greenfinches on one day. Goldcrests have been in our pine tree, two wrens and two Coal Tits were seen on another day and today, with the clock being adjusted, a very large Tawny Owl flew into the garden at 5.10pm.

With the first frosts of Winter this week the local Hedgehogs are now finding places to hibernate. Piles of logs are one of their favourites.

On Hopwood a good view of a Roe Deer was had in the white frost on both the twelfth and the fourteenth. During the morning of the fourteenth five flocks of Redwings flew overhead totalling more the two hundred and sixty birds but still no Fieldfares locally The first Woodcock was flushed on the twelfth of October , which is about normal for their arrival from Scandinavia.

During the afternoon of the thirteenth I was in the Roaches on the North Staffordshire moors, There was a passage of forty Meadow Pipits, four Kestrels were seen separately and two Wheatears were still present on a gravel path at dusk. A peacock butterfly was seen and a great pink sunset followed but no migrant thrushes were encountered.

The highlight in the garden was a record ten Collared Doves on the fourteenth but sadly the male Sparrowhawk returned on the fifteenth and caught prey. I suppose he has to live as well!

On the sixth of October I saw my first Redwing of Autumn, making it six days later than last year which is late in view of the mild Autumnal weather we have been having in the last few weeks. No Fieldfares yet though but with North East winds forecast perhaps next week?

At Hopwood a male Stonechat was present on the tenth as well as a Red Admiral butterfly.

As we sat in the garden, drinking coffee, one day during the week thirty two Goldfinches and seven Greenfinches continued to feed only twenty foot away! Hard to believe that fifty years ago Goldfinches were rare birds locally.

Not much to report this week as everything has evolved around my eldest son’s wedding on October 3rd. Once my wife and ten month old grandson had been rescued by the Fire Brigade from being locked in the toilet everything went OK!!

On Hopwood Snipe and Skylarks continue to move South but still no migrant thrushes. In the woods Goldcrests are quite noisy and six Bullfinches were seen together.

A Cormorant flew over the Canal one morning and Sparrowhawks have been hunting the garden on two occasions, once catching prey. The Starling numbers have now increased to sixteen.

The number of Autumn Crocus in flower at Hopwood is the best for some years but their stalks are so fragile they only stop upright for a few days. In the scrub area by the railway a Willow Tit was calling today – perhaps it is on its way to our garden

As usual at this time of the year Jays are more visible in the woods as they look for acorns. Unfortunately, in comparison to other Autumn fruits, the Acorn crop this year is poor. As a result we should receive more visits from the Jays to our garden.

Parties of Long Tailed Tits are still being encountered in all the woodlands and there is a steady movement of Skylarks in a South West direction.

Despite the lack of sunshine there was a Comma butterfly in the garden today.