Thursday October 31

Today was a momentous day. I am now officially a gentleman of leisure. My retirement send off yesterday went very well and I ended up in a pub playing darts before staggering off home. So I was feeling a tad delicate this morning.

This morning's weather couldn't have been much better for birding, a light north-easterly and high cloud. Thrushes were piling in all morning and I ended up with totals of 267 Redwings and 155 Fieldfares. With them came a Brambling, 16 Lesser Redpolls, 25 Meadow Pipits, and two Siskins.

It was one of those days when you suspected the big one was out there if only you could find it. I couldn't, or it wasn't.

Never mind, I did decide it was time to have a kick through the marsh. I had suspected that the lack of Snipe on the flash field could be a result of them all being in the marsh. I was right; 45 Common Snipe and two Jack Snipe were flushed without too much effort.

Great Spotted Woodpecker

The camera didn't have much of an outing, but there's always tomorrow, and the day after that, and the next day etc etc.

Just kidding Lyn xx