I Got Plenty O' Nuttin' - E Fitzgerald 'n' L Armstrong

 The common consensus between those who fielded an opinion on yesterday's

STRANGER on the SHORE
was that it had something of the Pintail about it, which shows where that leaves me, considering Pochard, but we haven't given up yet. There was no sign of it yesterday, through more dence mist/fog, so now hopes are high of a return and better images. Thanks to Paul and John.

The silence of the early morning (04:30) was shattered by the persistent yapping of a nearby,

FOX
leading to thoughts of safety of the Chickens, with

DAWN

bringing with it it's own frosted beauty across the tennis court and

Spider Webs alike.
Maybe not quite in the same division of beauty a dead

BROWN RAT

close to the Rat Runs outside the coup where the

CHUCKS

past full muster of c13.

The first avians to show were the resident

COLLARED DOVEs
at the Eco Recycling Works from where things petered out somewhat!
To kick-off with the

IRRIGATION POND
was also covered with a thin veneer of ice and totally devoid of Wildlife with only the
Usual Suspects across the open water of the

GRAVEL PIT

where the c3 Little Grebes continue to thrive

juvenile

adult

juvenile.

Elsewhere  things were slightly better without being outstanding but the

MOTH TRAPS
looked forlorn with thier veneer of frost but with the

temperature set at +7°C just before swinging into the ‘mick’ it was decided to just flash up a single just in case. The outcome was no more than a single

HARLEQUIN LADYBIRD
which have been something of a scarcity this Autumn with just dozens rather than the usual plague of Hundreds or even Thousands.

Otherwise, if we dare publish another

STONECHAT
(there were in fact 2) along with both

vocal

ROBIN
and similarly single and vocal

WOODLARK

which we have told time and time again
"not to sing with their mouth full".
Always happy to add our favourite of the

Rare Breeds Cattle

SHET

especially when they end up

secure right alongside like a Frigate in harbour.
Last but not Least were these c2

STOCK DOVEs

but then to find that overnight temperatures are likely to wallow between

+8°C and +10°C

for the rest of the week, but here’s the rub, “with heavy and sometimes persistant rain".

Here's Hoping

Stranger on the Shore - Aka Bilk

 Two days of ‘pea-soupers’, where you couldn’t see your hands in front of you, wasn’t of too much concern as we had seen them both before! The worry came with yet another lack of Wildlife all round but the effort was still made! On the Main Pond refugee numbers continue to rise with a

SWAN GOOSE
 appearing from nowhere and further on a new 

Eddy Stobbard Lady arriving from Wales.

With nothing on the Irrigation pond we quickly moved next door where there was something of a heart-stopper just visible through the mist, no not Gorilla's but a putative

RED-CRESTED POCHARD

which was discounted as a weird hybrid by the oppinion that was sought!
Most, if not all, of any other what might be seen as action was confined to the
Northern Paddocks which once again have taken on the guise of a 'flood plain', with mostly Gulls. Most numerous by far were

BLACK-HEADED GULL

maybe amounting to

a hundred or more until a couple of

EGYPTIAN GEESE

started to steal the thunder.

Surprisingly, the second most numerous species of Gull were

LESSER BLACK-BACKED

amounting to a hefty, for here at least, baker's dozen!

PIED WAGTAIL

otherwise would fall under the heading of "a LOT".

Between the Ducks

GADWALL

it was noted that the very few Northern Thrushes (Redwing and Fieldfare) had left behind some of HOLLY BERRIES

MALLARD
and

TEAL
all in decent numbers before the last of the Gulls dropped in but onlr c3

HERRING GULLs
On the Heath things remain dire which did allow us to video ALL that was seen

Taxiing Airbus sandwiched between 2

STONECHAT
The brief run down to Longham Lakes did produce the most uncooperative and unclickable
Green-winged Teal but with 2 far more obliging

GREYLAG GEESE

falling to the Canon.
Back at Slight Return a couple of slices of bread proved an attractant to

even more

aerobatic

BLACK-HEADED GULLs
with the finale being a single stem of 

ROUGH CHERVIL
(thanks John)