The patch week 4

Jan 22^nd  Lesley and I went for a walk around Nortonbury and Radwell, it was v ery quiet bird wise, a few pairs of Pochard  and Gadwall and the usual two pairs of swans plus one Little egret were noted, we also saw a flock of eighty woodpigeons on the winter greens and a small mixed flock of winter thrushes

Jan 23^rd rain stopped play

Jan 24^th  First stop the blue lagoon, six tufted ducks, three cormorants and two green woodpeckers were the only birds of interest beside the large numbers of coot, I think the tufties are moving between Standalone and the lagoon. Next was a stop at Standalone, lots of birds but nothing new so I wandered on along the Pix brook and found three separate chiffchaffs, the first was a very buff character and the last one seemed to have a green tinge but both were difficult to study as they kept flying off, when they did stay static for short periods it was good to see just how many small flies they were managing to find to eat.

I popped into the hide upon my return but the only new bird for the day ws a bullfinch female. The pasture fields around Standalone were thick with winter thrushes and there was a pied wagtail in the car park.

Jan 25^th A warm day, gloves barely needed, duck numbers were down at Standalone, Mallards were down to 11 from the 100 of the 21^st but they do fluctuate wildly, there were only two gadwall in view and the shovellers appear to have gone.  The flocks of finches, larks and rooks could not be found upon the greenway paths.

Jan 26^th A foul day of largely heavy rain – no visit

Jan 27^th Just time for a quick trip to Standalone, there was a flock of 155 mixed redwings and fieldfares on the meadow between Standalone farm and the Two chimneys PH together with about thirty starlings. I counted 121 Black headed gulls from the hide, and not a single common gull amongst them but nothing else of note.