There was a Magpie feeding on our bird food on a feeding stump.  A pair of Jays landed in the trees above causing the Magpie to fly off.  It soon returned with its mate and one of them flew straight at one of the Jays knocking it clean off its perch.  Both quickly departed from the garden and the Magpies sat in the top of the trees making quite clear who was in charge of this territory.  It is an accepted fact that if you remove Magpies from an area Jays will quickly move in.  This is surprising as one would assume the birds were equally matched when it came to a confrontation.

I have already mentioned that Syl had seen a Barn Owl in Goulds Farm yard.  We then found owl pellets matching the book description for those of a Barn Owl in an open fronted shed.  Then someone noticed pellets below an Owl box that has remained empty since I built it over 15 years ago.  When I investigated I could hear a bird inside the box but having waited this long for a tenant I have not dared disturb it by opening the box.  Lets hope it has, or will find a mate and we get nesting Barn Owls back into the parish.  I think that it will be unlikely as they need a large area of rough grassland to find enough food to rear and fledge young.  Ken Turner has also seen a Barn Owl foraging below the Rayne sewer works.

As I started to write I watched a Stoat hunting round the garden, this is the second sighting within a fortnight.  It spent about 5 minutes dancing around looking under clumps of plants, sticking its head into pipes, it even jumped onto the old sinks with alpines in them.  I may not appreciate having it around if it stays for the spring.  They are very good climbers and will quickly empty a garden of any birds nests with eggs or young and even the parent if it stays sitting on the nest in an act of bravado.  The Moorhens will have to take more care as they wander round the garden as they will soon end up on the Stoats menu.  This is a warning also to anyone with Hens or other pets in outside runs.  If the mesh on their pens is too large the Stoat will not just kill for its next meal, it keeps killing until all available food is dead.  If it can it will pull the victims into cover, if not they will lay where they fell with a neat set of tooth marks at the back of their neck.

The pairs of mallard on our pond have been swimming round each other dipping their beaks in the water and then raising them.  They are obviously pair bonding but why, after this courtship do the drakes then go and try to mate with any female they can force into submission.  Suggestions to the Editor only.-->

Roger Jiggins

Wildlife Reports for December 2007

Barry Mouser at the beginning of December saw a flock of Siskins on the Alder trees along Pods Brook and also heard a Tawny Owl in the Medley Road area.  Barry thought the owl was looking for an early mate as though they are early nesters it is rather early even for an owl.  Barry also reported two or three Yellow Wagtails on the sewage beds with a small flock of Meadow Pipits overhead.  Barry and Robert Bucknell were the only people to report seeing the Little Egret again this year along Pods Brook is this a sign that everyone now accepts the bird as a common regular visitor?
Trevor Rippingale has regular visits from Green and Greater Spotted Woodpeckers and a group of Long Tailed tits that are using the bird table along with Coal Tits.

Andrew Goldsmith had up to six Goldfinches feeding on lavender seed heads; he even sent me an excellent photo to prove it.  At Goulds we also had Goldfinches on Evening Primrose seed heads and on the Larch cones.
Allan Spooner New Road had a Hobby feeding on a Goldfinch in the garden and also had visits from a pair of Heron and a Kingfisher to his pond.
Caroline Sheldrake The Street, had Redwings on her lawn and watched Fieldfares clear the apples and holly berries from a neighbours garden.  There have been numerous reports of both these birds this winter, the Redwings in particular have been very common on garden lawns and sometimes in large numbers.  They have been feeding like Blackbirds on invertebrates in the grass.  Caroline also saw a Barn Owl near Braintree Green, I hope it is a mate for our owl at Goulds.