Intriguing - a flock of up to 25 has been turning up occasionally on Marston Mds last 2 months as well - I wonder if its the same group roaming around?
There has been a flock of up to 50 Siskin in the Lye Valley and Boundary Brook area for most of the winter, often with a few Lesser Redpoll too. It's generally been a good winter for small finches, so my guess would be there are a number of flocks in the Oxford area. I think Ben Sheldon has had Siskin flocks regularly in Aston's Eyot (off Iffley Road) this winter too.
Have had up to 105 this winter on Aston's Eyot - pre Xmas - though fewer the last few weeks, and they generally seem to be in the Alders fringing Christ Church Meadow. Redpoll have been almost completely absent down here though - just a couple detected!
Wow - remarkable numbers! My patch as a teenager in Kent in the 80s used to have a big mixed flock of both species, but I have been puzzled at how few there generally are in superficially similar habitats I now bird in Oxfordshire.
Intriguing - a flock of up to 25 has been turning up occasionally on Marston Mds last 2 months as well - I wonder if its the same group roaming around?
ReplyDeleteThere has been a flock of up to 50 Siskin in the Lye Valley and Boundary Brook area for most of the winter, often with a few Lesser Redpoll too. It's generally been a good winter for small finches, so my guess would be there are a number of flocks in the Oxford area. I think Ben Sheldon has had Siskin flocks regularly in Aston's Eyot (off Iffley Road) this winter too.
ReplyDeleteHave had up to 105 this winter on Aston's Eyot - pre Xmas - though fewer the last few weeks, and they generally seem to be in the Alders fringing Christ Church Meadow. Redpoll have been almost completely absent down here though - just a couple detected!
ReplyDeleteWow - remarkable numbers! My patch as a teenager in Kent in the 80s used to have a big mixed flock of both species, but I have been puzzled at how few there generally are in superficially similar habitats I now bird in Oxfordshire.
ReplyDelete