Lots of birds in Mercers Wood right now. Spent a hour mooching around the wood and river bank this morning and saw 29 species – Blue Tit, Great Tit, Long-tailed Tit, Blackcap, Chiffchaff, Willow Warbler, Blackbird, Song Thrush, Robin, Starling, Chaffinch, Goldfinch, Greenfinch, Wren, Dunnock, House Sparrow, Woodpigeon, Collared Dove, Carrion Crow, Jackdaw, Magpie, plusRead more about Latest sightings[…]
Spring is now here, and the birds are active in Mercers Wood. Blackbirds, Song Thrushes, Mistle Thrushes, Robins, Wrens and Chaffinches can be heard singing. A pair of Great Spotted Woodpeckers (male and female) have taken up residence in the wood. I have seen one or both frequently since the last week of January. Let’sRead more about Latest sightings in Mercers Wood[…]
Some interesting sightings on the riverside by Mercers Wood this month. A Little Egret flew overhead on the 9th (heading in the direction of Beckingham Marsh). 12 Redwings (first of the winter thrushes) were on the riverside on the 19th. Our local Peregrine was seen again on the 21st, while on the same day thereRead more about Sightings by Mercers Wood in October[…]
A huge amount of hawthorn and other berries is making Mercers Wood look very autumnal now. There was a large group (a dozen or more) of Long-tailed Tits in the wood this morning. A male Merlin was seen hunting on the riverside not far from the wood. A female has spent the winter in thisRead more about Autumnal in the Wood[…]
Lots of dragonflies are now appearing on the riverside – blue and black bodied male Hawkers, green and black bodied female Hawkers, bright red bodied Common Darters.
We’re well into August now and birds are starting to become active again. Lots of activity going on in Mercers Wood, with plenty of birds, butterflies and other insects. Just outside the wood, on the riverside, I caught a brief glimpse of a dragonfly. Too brief to tell which species it was (brown body, soRead more about Bird Blitz on Field Lane[…]
Yesterday afternoon, around 3 pm, I was on the riverside, sitting on the bench by Roses sports field. All was quiet. Suddenly there was a loud bird-of-prey like screeching noise. Woodpigeons, lots and lots of them, flew up from the bushes on the opposite bank, flying in all directions. And in amongst them trying toRead more about Peregrine Falcon[…]
Lots of butterflies, bees and hoverflies to be seen in Mercers Wood right now. Butterflies seen in the wood recently include Small White, Large White, Small Tortoiseshell, Comma, Speckled Wood, Painted Lady, Ringlet and Small Skipper. And today, a very photogenic Red Admiral was flitting about just inside the Mercer Street entrance to the wood.Read more about Red Admiral & Bullfinches[…]
We appear to have a Peregrine Falcon in the area. On June 18th I reported seeing one at the Morton end of Ropery Road. This morning a Peregrine Falcon (perhaps the same bird) flew over Mercers Wood. Other birds seen in or by the wood this morning — Blue Tit, Great Tit, Long-tailed Tit, Chiffchaff,Read more about Peregrine Falcon Over Mercers Wood[…]
I came across a Giant Wood Wasp in Mercers Wood this morning. Despite its name it is not really a wasp, but a sawfly, and its completely harmless. Find a photo of it in our gallery.