Todays visit couldn't have been more different from the previous one. The sun shone from the off, and there was a moderate south-westerly breeze. Gone were the hoards of thrushes and Starlings which filled the sky last time. A slow, carefully paced mooch was called for today.
Actually, some of the thrushes had remained, but they were now hiding in the hedgerows, guzzling berries. I flushed about 40 Redwings, 10 Fieldfares, and similar numbers of Song Thrushes and Blackbirds but few gave any opportunity for a good look.
Some birds were more obliging. There were a lot fewer Lesser Redpolls around, but one or two did pose quite well.
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| Lesser Redpoll |
My target species, I always have something in mind, was Yellow-browed Warbler. Since my last post, another one has been winkled out of a West Midlands site, a Common in Coventry. So I listened for one, and grilled anything warbler-like. In the end I could find only Chiffchaffs, two to be precise.
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| Chiffchaff |
The Goldfinch flock is still 150 strong, and I counted three Stonechats. Both Grey Wagtail and Yellowhammer flew over during the morning.
The flash field contained no Mallards, which is quite extraordinary, but did host 10 Teal, and 13 Shovelers.
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| Some of the Shovelers |
So it was a pretty quiet visit, as most of them are. It's the bread and butter which makes you appreciate the jam when it arrives.
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