Sunday 22 November 2015

October left with 26 Mandarins on the 28th of note and 3 Tawny Owls calling on my way to work at 06:15.
On 31st of the month a 'continental'Coal Tit was in a horse chestnut tree in Back lane and at 16:05 a skein of 110 Brent Geese flew S/E over the village.
The first week of November saw an increase in the numbers of Fieldfares and the 8th of the month I had a single Crossbill(103) over.
Yesterdays walk was somewhat shortened by snow on a freezing wind but before it set in I saw 300 Fieldfares and 20 Redwings and the lake held a Coot (somewhat uncommon in these parts) and a drake Wigeon.
Yesterdays drake Wigeon.
This morning there were good numbers of Redwings and Fieldfares around the orchard and a Reed Bunting was a welcome find as was a splendid male Brambling on the track near the farmhouse
The Wigeon had gone as had the Coot but there were a few Mandarins on the lake
Two of the Mandarins on the lake.
As I got round to the Shirrenden side I glanced up to see two Carrion Crows mobbing something and as I got me bins on it I was delighted to see it was a Short eared Owl(104).Fantastic!!I watched it gain height and disappear to the north west.
Unfortunately I got called to work just as it disappeared so had to make my way home before I could finish my walk.