Another Patch Yeartick

At work in the sunny first garden we had a pair of Coal Tit calling constantly as they worked through the ornamental conifers & a Bullfinch pair on site later in the dull & cold a couple of mile north.

Home in good time & the sun broke back through - just as well as we chose to visit a Place that is colder than a cold place.
Some get frost bitten here, though some just get bittern . . .



" whats that funny looking goose like creature in the reeds . . "

BUT,
If you are an ex-pro wrestler, with an ability to drink 4pints of coffee, spend several full days in sub zero conditions, talk all visitors into submission & have a Scud missile launcher . . . maybe . . .
Just maybe . . .





Heard a few folks mentioning what a quiet time it is birdwise - certainly not the case round here.

A decent selection with lots of Springtime activity.
Passage waders moving through with 20+ each of Snipe & Oystercatcher, close by 50+ each of Curlew & Golden Plover.
Lapwings are prominant at the moment, with a mixture of remaining roving winter flocks, birds currently passing & a growing number of the local birds coming back onto territory (albeit somewhat late). Allways a joy to watch especially when tumbling males sporting their huge wispy crests.

Some waterfowl movement with Coots, Teal & Tufted clearing off. Coming in have been up to 20Pochard, passing pr of Wigeon, 6Gadwall with a steady increase of Dabchick since the weekend & the first 2 local drake Shovellers of the year.

drake Shuvler

A Summer plumaged GCGrebe flew in this afternoon to join the strange goose like reedbed creature which has been seen sporadically, the grebe imediately setting out to harrass a pair of Dabchick, chasing them underwater.

GCG - yeartick for me ( a one day-er at Lyons in Feb )

Last 3 nights, several widely scattered pairs of Long-eared Owls vocal & active at dusk
1 roding & 3 other Woodcocks flying out over open ground to feed.

1 Meadow Pipit(!) on the ground - surely numbers are only days away.
Tawny Owl visible in her box
Little Owl back close to its roost box, easily viewed from a respectful distance when site is quiet.
The Pathside Long-eared Owls have been disturbed YET AGAIN are now VERY skittish - best left in peace for a good while !

Best end on a positive note
nice to see some folks know that Fieldcraft isnt something you spread on your toast on a morning.



Perfect Piece of Peace Perfect Peace