Sunday 6 February 2011

I felt a little better today, but not quite up to a four hour dawn walk out on my patch. I don't think I have missed too much this weekend though, it's been blowing a gale throughout.

I did make a short patch visit around mid morning, a brief look over on the fields at Migrant Alley gave me a new species for the month when a COMMON GULL (52) with at least 250 BLACK HEADED GULLS were all hunkered down facing into the relentless wind. Trying to hear the call of my first Yellowhammer, Skylark, or Meadow Pipit of the month as it went over, was a pointless exercise, all I could here was the roar of the wind!

I also had a quick look at the main lake, which had two CANADA GEESE and 4 MALLARD on it, but soon made my way back home feeling a bit worse for ware :-(

Back home in the garden, the SPARROWHAWK is keeping things very quiet with it's regular fly throughs, it doesn't catch anything, but practice makes perfect! Early on in the morning a male SISKIN was tempted down by the sunflower hearts, but didn't hang around long.

Male Siskin at garden feeders

Hopefully I can shrug this virus off tomorrow, but having missed two full patch visits this month, it will not be until next weekend till my first full patch walk, by then it will be the 13th already !

7 comments:

Marc Heath said...

Ill or not warren, you gotta get out, these are the days when that elusive patch tick may be present!

Warren Baker said...

I had a go marc. :-)

ShySongbird said...

Lovely to see the Siskin! Keep improving Warren :)

Lancashire and Lakeland Outback Adventure Wildlife Safaris said...

Valiant effort Warren. Once again a gull brings your target a bit nearer!!!
Never had a siskin on mi nuts...so to speak

Cheers

Davo

Chris said...

Get better mate!! Try to take it easy! Beautiful day you got despite the virus!

Sharon said...

Nice shots of the Siskin Warren. Get some hot whiskey & lemon inside you, that'll soon have you right!

Anonymous said...

Swap you that Siskin for a Reed Bunting, Warren.