HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL.

Well, the year has come to a very soggy end.
On Sunday 29th there was a total of 10 tufteds on the lake and in the afternoon we had a walk up to Sprivers and back, with me on crutches and I was delighted to find a single Waxwing with some Redwings and Fieldfares on Hazel Street farm orchards.
 I managed a little walk down at the lake at lunchtime today but there weren't any last minute species to add to the years total, so it finished on 116.A really good total for a patch like mine and maybe if I'd been able to get out a bit more in the latter part of the year, I could have got a couple more.
One species was added to the patch total (Woodlark) in March.The Waxwings found in December 2012 were still around into the new year and were a great year tick which I never tired of trying to photograph.
 Insect highlights included my first Golden-ringed Dragonfly and Clouded Yellow butterfly.
All that is left is to wish everyone reading this blog a Very Happy and bird-filled New year.

With the festive period nearly upon us I was really looking forward to getting out on the patch as I am now off work until 6th January.
Unfortunately I've chipped a bone in my right ankle whilst out walking on Sunday 22nd December, so eventually had to give in and go to A&E on Christmas Eve.I received a very friendly and efficient service but left wearing a boot on my right leg which I have keep on twenty four-seven until my appointment at the fracture clinic on New Years Eve. Hopefully it will come off then.
After moping about the house I convinced my wife to drive me down to the lake this morning. We managed a slow hobble for half an hour  in which time we saw a tick for the year in the shape of a drake Pochard (116). There were also a few Mandarin, a Coot, a Great Crested Grebe, Kingfisher, a drake Tufted as well as quite a few Redwing and Fieldfares plus Goldfinch and Siskin in the lakeside alders and a flyover Brambling and Meadow Pipit.
This cheered me a little but the thought of being confined to the house is not a pleasant one.

November update

The month has passed with little chance to get out into the field for any great amount of time. Bird numbers seem to be low with a high count of just 200 fieldfares on the 28th when there was also a flock of 100+ Siskins in the lakeside Alders. The 14th produced a flock of 34 Lesser Redpolls and there has also been the odd Brambling seen.

                                                 Distant  Brambling
The first Goosander (a drake) of the winter appeared on the 22nd but the lake itself has been very quiet with just the odd pair of Mandarin to brighten it up plus a Little Grebe appearing a few times and on Thursday 27th a Grey Wagtail and 2 Kingfishers.
On Sunday 24th I had some great views of a female Lesser Spot through the scope but unfortunately we were on different sides of the lake.
I did photogragh a couple of interesting fungi earlier in the month:-

                                                  Orange Peel fungus?

Stagshorn fungus?

Hope I've got them right. Perhaps someone could let me know if I haven't.

Arrived at the lake just as the sun was about to appear over the trees at the northern end.

There were a few birds moving after the change in weather, with Chaffinches going over bringing my first Brambling of the Autumn with them. I soon added singles of Siskin  and Reed Bunting. Then Fieldfare and Redwing went over. A lot of Wood Pigeons were going East.
On the lake there were 25 Canada Geese, 3 Great Crested Grebes, 9 Mandarins, 8 Moorhens, a Coot (a bit of a rarity here, plus best of all a Litttle Grebe (115).

Little Grebe in the mist.

So a nice little walk plus a species for the year list, Excellent!!

October started with a walk on the 3rd which produced the first Water Rail for a little while. The lake  also held a Kingfisher,14 Mandarin and 14 House Martins and 11 Swallows. All three woodpeckers were seen and I managed a rather distant shot of a female Lesser Spotted

                                                   Female Lesser Spotted Woodpecker
A quick look at the lake on my way home on the 4th produced 230 Black headed Gulls plus 30 Herring Gulls going over East as well as 85 Stock Doves going south. The first Siskins of the Autumn arrived over the house on the 5th , with 7 over the next day and a flock of 30 at the lake on the 6th.
A stroll around the lake after work on the 10th gave a female Teal and a high count of 23 Mandarin,

                                                 Teal taken in the gathering gloom
2 Grey Wagtails, 4 Chiffchaffs, 2 Kingfishers, 5 Meadow Pipits, 43 Mallards and 10 Moorhens.
At last the sun shone and I managed a two and a half hour walk on Saturday 12th. I was hoping for a decent bit of movement and soon had my first Redwings of the autumn. I soon added Lesser Black-backed Gull, Carrion Crow, Jackdaw and Rook.
Down through Kirkins and passerines overhead were very few with a few Blackbirds and Song Thrushes but I did get Reed Bunting and Meadow Pipit. The only summer migrant so far was a lone Chiffchaff.
Down by the pumpng station I found a Grey Wagtail and a couple of Mistle Thrushes with some Stock Doves over. As I walked along the farm track between the rows of apple trees I was greeted by the call of Brent Geese(113) and was amazed to see two massive skeins, really high up, going south east. In total there were at least 450. Truly jaw droppng! Things got even better when a Stonechat(114)appeared on top of one of the wind break hedges, before flying off.A lone Swallow flew south east.
On the Shirrenden side I found my first Lesser Redpoll of the autumn with a couple of Siskins. I saw a total of 8 Great Black-backed Gulls, which is a fantastic count on my patch. 55 Species were seen in all, a really great total for the patch and I also saw 4 Roe Deer. Brilliant!!
I had a walk in the rain this morning and saw another Swallow, poor thing, I reckon this could be my last of the year.

Late September Update

Well the month has just about gone now and so have nearly all the summer migrants. Unfortunately I've been working one day at the weekend, so with the nights drawing in, visits have been short.
Meadow Pipits have arrived on the patch, with 55 on 22nd Sept. The morning of 26th yielded two juvenile Hobbies and a quick visit on the evening of 27th had me dashing off to get my camera as three Wigeon(112) were on the lake.

Drake Wigeon ( Juvenile or Eclipse?)

There are still good numbers of Mandarins with 14 being seen yesterday. I did manage a two hour walk yesterday ( 28th) and managed 43 species, which included the first Siskin of the autumn plus  a Willow Warbler, a Blackcap, a few Chiffchaffs and 31 Swallows.
On a quick walk after work today I saw 2 Buzzards, a Sparrowhawk and a Kestrel in the air together over Shirrenden.
There were still a few Small Coppers in the ditch opposite the pumping station and three species of dragonfly were seen around the lake( Common Darter, Brown Hawker and 3 Migrant Hawkers.

Migrant Hawker

On a sombre note yet more valuable habitat has been lost from the patch with an area of scrub being cleared to make a field a little bit bigger. I'm particularly upset as this held two pairs of Willow Warblers and a pair of Turtle doves this year. What is wrong with these GREEDY, IGNORANT B******S!.

More habitat gone forever!!

August ended with warbler numbers dropping dramatically. There were still numbers of Spotted Flycatchers around with 10 in the paddocks at Shirrenden, 2 in Sprivers and 2 at Share Farm on the 31st of the month.
On the second of September the lake contained 9 Mandarins as well as a few Chiffchaff in lakeside trees plus 2 Reed Warblers and on the Shirrenden side a couple of Blackcaps and 8 Spotted Flycatchers during a brief visit after work.
On 3rd a very short visit produced a Grasshopper Warbler(111) which I nearly trod on in the ditch opposite the pumping station in Furnace Lane. A fantastic addition to the year list and only the second I have found on the patch.
A visit to the lake at 06.00am on the 4th produced the first Peregrine since June and on my way home from work I had a Lesser Spotted Woodpecker which flew over my head.
On the butterfly front there have been a few Clouded Yellows around with four present on the 4th along with a G-R Dragonfly, a Common Darter, a few Migrant and a Brown Hawker.

Common Darter