Pittswood Birds

Back to work today, so no morning birding will be had until Saturday now, what am I going to miss out on ? On my way back home, I crossed Migrant Alley, and scanning the stubble and sheep pasture, for as long as I could hold out against the biting wind, I could see LAPWINGS spread out thinly, probably around 30 or so, with them were 50-60 BLACK HEADED GULLS, and a few ROOKS, JACKDAWS and 30-40 STARLINGS.
During my lunch, whilst looking out at the feeders, I saw 3 SISKINS feeding on the peanuts and sunflower hearts, number 20 for the garden feeder list ! last years list finished on 35, not bad for a 50 by 40 walled garden! Only a brief trip out to the lake, wet woods and tree nursery was had, because i was so flippin' cold! The lake was 100% ive covered, plus half an inch of snow, but a GREY HERON was still hoping to find some food. Six MALLARDS were huddled under some overhanging trees, but there wasn't a Mandarin duck, as i had hoped, this is the time of year I record them, but the ice is not helping. In the wet woods there were 3 GOLDCRESTS feeding together, along with a TREECREEPER, how do they keep the cold out? I walked into the tree nursery, not expecting much as there was a work party there. The only thing I did record there was ...........a WOODCOCK!! I had deliberately not walked where i flushed up yesterdays bird, I didn't want to keep disturbing it - if it was there, so I walked a different route. Todays bird could have been the same bird as yesterday, but it was 50-60 yards futher away. How typical, seven years it took me to record a woodcock on my patch, then I get one on consecutive days! walking back home, up ashes lane, I saw a KESTREL hunting around the greenhouse complex, but that was my lot for the day, I just couldn't hold out against that biting north wind.