3rd Patch Tick In As Many Weeks

I shook things up today on my usual Saturday morning wander over the Valley with No.1 son; well as much as you can do :)

 

Parking at Albyns Farm car park at 9.20am i got out of the car and heard the chatter of Fieldfare, spinning round i caught c30 leaving a tall tree and heading off towards Ingrebourne Hill. Great start and it got better, checking my phone it became clear that Fieldfare was a patch tick.

 

 

 

Things were going well, as i put Heath in the pram Bullfinch x2, over follwed by c25 Redwing.

 

 

 

The aim for today was to head up the path towards Ingrebourne Hill and a bit of sky watching; it wasnt to be, i was cold and i was moving, the poor little fella in the pram looked frozen in the icy wind. So we turned and headed for the viewing area hoping the trees would shelter us from the wind.

 

It did...

 

Tit lake produced, Gadwall x4, Shoveller x6, Mute Swan, Cormorant, Black Headed Gulls x9, Mallard, Coot & Moorhen along with a couple of Pochard.

 

The walk to the the viewing area produced all the usual suspects and so did the viewing area, however Wigeon x3 could be seen. Its only the second time for me on these at the Valley with the first seen back on January 29th when i counted 13.

 

 

 

Lapwing x49 headed over from the fields heading towards the houses.

 

40 species in total so not bad for a quick walk.

 

Heading back i cut through one of the woods and upon exiting i bumped into fellow local birder Andy, by all accounts we are of a similar level at birding with similar size lists over the valley. Andy had managed great views of a Buzzard being mobbed by Crows along with a few Goldcrest.

 

Nice meeting you Andy, see you over there again soon no doubt.

 

Fieldfare takes the 2012 list to 86 and another one closer to the 100 on the Valley life list.