Cold,rain, 6 degrees C with a strong NW breeze
7.7 miles
46 bird species
No doubt about it that this morning's walk was cold. Not chilly, just bloody cold. Sometimes you wonder if you really are enjoying a walk every day, but then something comes along to brighten things up 😊
This morning there were precious few birds about, just a few warblers making a half-hearted attempt at singing. A young Roe Deer was trying in vain to get out of a fenced-in field, I would have liked to help it but the gate that I would have opened for it was locked shut. I could see another gate at the bottom of the field that was partially open and I guess that is how it got into the field in the first place, but it didn't seem to to able to see its escape route. Hoping it would eventually suss it out I walked on. This just added to my misery 😉
Then I saw a Brown Hare running about in a field so I watched it for a few minutes and after that I forgot about being cold and the world seemed brighter (for a while!).
Then I put up a Common Snipe from the footpath as I walked through, appropriately enough, Snipe Grounds, and I watched it zoom off into the distance. Nice.
The two long-staying Pink-footed geese were still with the large Greylag herd and the two equally long-staying White-fronted geese had been joined by a third.
Hundreds of hirundines were feeding low over the Mere, pushed down by the rain. Mainly Sand Martins and Swallows with a few House Martins mixed in. By now I was smiling again.
The morning wore on but didn't get much warmer. More birds started singing - no doubt to warm themselves up rather than doing it for any other reason :) The rain stopped! Oh joy unbounded.
Home for a cuppa? Yes please.
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| 3 White-fronted Goose |
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| 3 White-fronted Goose and 2 Pink-footed Goose in with Greylags |
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| White-fronted again |
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| Young Roe Deer looking for a way out |
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| A soggy Brown Hare - I shared its pain |
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| Swallows over the reed bed, from Wassand hide |
Great Crested Grebe (1)
Mute Swan
White-fronted Goose (3), Pink-footed Goose (2), Greylag Goose+goslings, Canada Goose
Mallard+ducklings, Tufted Duck
Marsh Harrier
Pheasant
Coot
Lapwing
Snipe
Great-black Backed Gull, Herring Gull
Stock Dove, Wood Pigeon, Collared Dove
Swallow (c.150) Sand Martin (c.250) House Martin (c.30)
Great Spotted Woodpecker (2)
Green Woodpecker
Skylark
Wren, Dunnock, Robin, Blackbird
Song Thrush
Cetti's Warbler(3)
Sedge (4) and Willow Warbler (2)
Lesser Whitethroat (1), Whitethroat (3) and Blackcap (4)
Chiffchaff(2)
Blue, Great Tit
Jackdaw, Magpie, Rook, Carrion Crow
Starling, House Sparrow
Reed Bunting
Chaffinch
No butterflies and no damselflies
Water Vole, Brown Hare, Roe Deer, Rabbit
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