First real patch visit

After some busy weekends and bit of birding elsewhere I finally got to the patch this morning, what a great morning to be out too, with sun and hardly any wind. I started by checking if there were any Snipe around, I didn't find the hoped for Jack but was happy with 7 COMMON SNIPE, also here were the first of 8 BULLFINCH seen today. Moving up to the car park I managed to find a couple of GREENFINCH. FIELDFARE and REDWING were in evidence all morning, as were a handful of LESSER REDPOLL also seen flying around. Heading to the lake a NUTHATCH called and I heard a crest call, which I was sure was a FIRECREST, eventually it gave itself up, a really great start to the year on the patch, it was forever on the move but I did manage a couple of shots. In the woods I added MARSH TIT, TREECREEPER, GOLDCREST and COAL TIT. In the fields there were 23 MEADOW PIPIT, 6 SKYLARK, 4 YELLOWHAMMER, a REED BUNTING and a couple of LINNET. A COMMON BUZZARD flew west and a GREAT BLACK BACKED GULL flew north, not the most common of the gulls here. Finally a LITTLE OWL called and a SPARROWHAWK shot across the lane as I headed home. I finished on 47 species which makes 49 for the year, as I popped in late on Friday to listen for TAWNY OWL, which did call, I also had the bonus of a calling WATER RAIL then as well!

Blue Tit

Firecrest

Firecrest

Nuthatch