The only bit of luck today concerned the weather. I arrived in pouring rain, but within five minutes it had cleared and sunshine dominated.
Dave arrived and we headed for the south end with high hopes. However, it soon became apparent that the finch flock was much reduced. Only about 27 Lesser Redpolls and 10 Linnets remained.
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| Lesser Redpolls feeding on Mugwort |
We resumed our normal circuit, and succeeded in flushing a single Jack Snipe from the pool field, actually a disappointing return compared to previous winters, while the nearest flash was a little better than recently, containing 47 Mallard, 14 Teal, a Canada Goose, three Wigeon, and two Grey Herons.
We counted three pairs of Stonechats in the usual places, and noticed that thrush numbers had dropped to about 20 Redwings and two Fieldfares.
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| Female Stonechat |
There comes a time each year when nature seems to flick a switch from autumn into winter, and mild as it was, that day was today.
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