Sunday March 4

With temperatures starting to rise, the thaw is on and the beast from the east is receding from memory. Time to visit Morton Bagot. The main roads were fine, the minor roads were not. Half way there I was getting quite concerned. Snow drifts on either side of the road and long periods of impacted snow making it touch and go on the hilly bits. I called a halt at the crossroads 50 yards short of my patch boundary. I'm glad I did.

The road looking from Bannams Wood.

It remained misty and grey for almost the whole of the morning. This made it hard getting any reasonable photographs of anything. A Fox trotted across the flash field, no doubt anticipating another season of decimating the Lapwings' breeding attempts.

The shallow scrapes were almost completely frozen and initially all I could see were 42 Black-headed Gulls and 19 Teal. Then I started to notice Snipe. They were gathered in groups in several places across the field and were all animatedly feeding in the thawing marshy areas. I eventually counted 34 Snipe and six Lapwings.

Snipe

Everything left when a couple of dog-walkers, their dog running free, appeared on the other side of the field. To be fair they were scrutinising a map so I am guessing they were at least trying to follow the footpath from which they had strayed.

I headed south towards Netherstead. The pool was partially frozen, but there was enough water for a pair of Mute Swans and three Coot.

The fields seemed rather quiet, apart from the song of some intrepid Skylarks. My mammal list started to expand; Brown Hares, Muntjac, two Roe Deer, and a Rabbit. The tracks in the snow told of another resident.

Badger tracks

I had brought some seeds with me, intending to spread it wherever the finches had gathered. Unfortunately I hardly saw any, so spread them in a couple of likely spots. No doubt the pampered Pheasants will hoover them up.

The walk back along the road finally brought me a year-tick. Not the expected Jay, which continues to make itself scarce, but a Grey Wagtail which flew over me in the hamlet.

Before I headed off I made another trip to the flash field, the highlight being two Common Gulls which both flew east. One was a first-winter, the other an adult.

Adult Common Gull

What this visit needed was a splash of colour.

Yellowhammer

Job done.

So I girded my loins for the return journey. Fortunately, the sun came out, the thaw got to work, and the hill between me and Redditch was safely negotiated. Phew !