4: Stoke Bishop
In our Stoke Bishop garden Osprey is more common than Sparrow! To be more specific – an Osprey flew north in
April about 5 years ago, but in the last forty years we have never seen a House Sparrow.
The garden is about 3⁄4 acre, with a meadow and small orchard at the end and two ponds. Two sunflower hearts
feeders and a fat cylinder attract Blue, Great, Coal and Long-tailed Tit, Blackcap, Great-Spotted Woodpecker,
Nuthatch, and sometimes Siskin. One year our Blackcap count at one time reached eight, but this winter there
have been unusually few. Green Woodpecker is a regular visitor. In winter Fieldfare and Redwing feed on
remaining apples.
The recent March cold snap attracted a record thirty Fieldfare. Grey Wagtail sometimes comes to the pond.
There are no fish but a Heron still visits in hope.
Rarities over the years include Redstart, Redpoll and Crossbill (once for each) and Starling (about once a year). Including flyovers, we have recorded 54 species.
Roger and Christine White
