BIRD LISTING

Not a definitive list of all the birdlife to be seen in Furzefield Wood and the meadow but some birds I have seen. In the midst of local farmland, sprayed regularly with insecticide, fungicide and herbicide, it seems this is a small oasis where food supplies may be found.

Blackbird (Turdus merula) One of our most common thrushes. All black male with yellow beak, female dark brown all over. (25cm)	Song Thrush (Turdus philomelos) Slightly smaller than the mistle thrush. Known to smash snail shells on rocks. Buff underwing, less spotted than mistle thrush. (23cm)	Robin (Erithacus rubecula) Aggressive little bird will battle with it's own reflection. Redbreast, white undebelly, brown back. Sings well. (14cm)	Mistle Thrush (Turdus viscivorus) Similar to the song thrush but this bird has a greenish-grey back. White underwing, white edged tail, heavily spotted breast. (28cm)
Carrion Crow (Corvus corone corone) More commonly just called a crow. They are often seen dealing with 'road kills'.All black, heavy black beak.(45cm)	Magpie (Pica pica) You can't miss this one they're everywhere. Said to collect shiny objects in its nest. Black and white, v. long tail. (45cm)	Jay (Garrulus glandarius) Stores acorns in the ground like a squirrel. Makes a lot of noise, super colours. Blue and white patch on wing. (35cm)	Tawny Owl (Strix aluco) Common owl in woodland. Sometimes mobbed by smaller birds in daytime when sleeping. Colour brown to rey, no ear tufts. (37cm)
Grey Heron (Ardea cinerea) Large bird (90cm), ungainly perched on trees, often stands completely still, black crest, slate grey. Steals pond fish!	Swallow (Hirundo rustica) Summer visitor, fast low level flier, watch for red breast, deep forked tail and bluish black back (20cm)	Swift (Apus apus) Another summer visitor less forked tail and smaller than the swallow, often fly in groups, unable to perch. (16cm)	Green Woodpecker (Picus viridis) Insect eater, hammers on trunks, well know cry. Red cap on head, greenish back, yellowish underside. (30cm)
Tree Creeper (Sitta europaea) White underside, bluish-grey back. Seen going up and down tree trunks searching for insects. (14cm)	Nuthatch (Certhia familiaris) Small, white underside, brownish back. Creeps on trees searching under the bark for food. (12cm)	Kingfisher (Alcedo athis) Perches beside water. Seen as a flash making a 'peep' sound. Blue-green back, orangey underside. (15cm)	Wren (Troglodytes troglodytes) Tiny bird often seen in the leaf litter, dark brown, characteristic upturned tail. (10cm)
Blue Tit (Parus caeruleus) Blue cap, wings and tail, very common bird in garden nest boxes. (11cm)	Great Tit (Parus major) Common garden bird, larger than blue tit. Yellow breast with black stripe through its centre. (15cm)	Coal Tit (Parus ater) Less common than blue or great tit. White patch at back of black head. Light wingbars. (10cm)	Long Tailed Tit (Aegithalos caudatus) Tiny bird with characteristic long tail, often seen in groups. Salmon pink colour. (14cm)
Bullfinch (Pyrrhula pyrrhula) Unmistakable scarlet chest, black cap, female poorly coloured in comparison. Unusual bird. (15cm)	Chaffinch (Fringilla coelebs) Said to be the most common UK bird by some. Pink chest, two white wing bars make it show up well in flight. (15cm)	Goldfinch (Carduelis carduelis) Unmistakable. Red, white black head, bright yellow/gold wing bar that shows in flight. (13cm)	Greenfinch (Carduelis chloris) Not really green more a greeny-brown. Yellow edges to wings. Regular bird feeder visitor. (15cm)
Pied Wagtail (Motacilla alba yarrelli) The most common wagtail which as its name suggests dips its tail. Darker back (pic) in the summer. (18cm)	Collared Dove (Streptopelia decaocto) Pinkish in colour. Recent impot in UK. Look for black stripe edged in white on back of neck. (30cm)	Wood Pigeon (Columba palumbus) The big fat pigeon often heard cooing. Hated by farmers. (41cm)	Kestrel (Falco tinnunculus) We've all seen this one hovering over the motorway. Grey-blue head, red-brown back Quite striking close-up. (34cm)
Goldcrest (Regulus regulus) Hover like hummingbirds around bushes. Their crest is the give away. (10cm)	Greater Spotted Woodpecker (Dendrocopos major) Woods of all kinds. Quite common in gardens at bird tables. (24cm)