Sunday Stroll

With lighter winds forecast for this morning I was out at 6.10am in the hope a few Owls could be seen and heard. What I forgot was that is was pouring down as I left home, what a surprise. I had a drive around not seeing or hearing anything and when I arrived at Shuart I was greeted with lots of cars and people walking around in the dark! Normally its just me out at silly O'clock but after speaking to one of them they were due to do some filming there with Steven Graham and Hannah Walters, both well know actors. I decided to move on and drove to Chambers Wall where as it got light I walked the circuit along the embankment and back along the seawall. Birds noted today in pleasant conditions were 1 Woodcock, 2 Grey Partridge, 2 Pheasant, 1 Water Rail heard and at the railway crossing I could hear 1 Firecrest calling. Moving on I noted 673 Cormorant flying in from the Stour Valley, 16 Mute Swan, 1 Fieldfare, 3 Little Grebe, c15 Reed Bunting, c30 Oystercatcher, 1 Little Egret and c200 Brent Geese. There were 9 Shelduck, 9 Red throated Diver, 34 Redshank, 1 Stonechat, 16 Curlew, 7 Corn Bunting and it was nice to hear a few species in song this morning, a reminder of better times and hopefully better weather ahead.

Blue Tit