Thursday 7 January 2016

It was chuckin' it down early this morning, so a leisurely breakfast was had while I waited for the rain to relent.

Eventually I got out around 09:15hrs and headed over to the lakes, on the way I stopped off at the Ashes Lane Fields to count the MEADOW PIPITS, of which there were at least 11 present on the now quagmire like pasture, at one point 4 of them alighted on the strand of barbed wire that stretches along the drainage ditch there, soon to be joined by a ROBIN, a SONGTHRUSH and a couple of LONG TAILED TITS, a strange set of species to be sat side by side I thought  :-)

Cutting through the edge of the Wet Woods to get to the lakes, I could hear a TREECREEPER in song, as well as a GOLDCREST, a DUNNOCK and a MISTLETHRUSH, but then the rain came back in with a vengeance, I got soaked, despite finding cover in one of the out buildings by the lakes that were just a few minutes away  :-(  At least I could scan the water from my position, where I could see a CORMORANT and a GREY HERON, the same species as yesterday, was it worth getting wet for ?

The rain slowed slightly so I made a dash for home, back across the Ashes Lane Fields, where I watched a female SPARROWHAWK fly across and alight in the Wet Woods, then seconds later, first 2 BUZZARDS then a third flew low over.

That was my lot for the morning, I had lost the will to do much more, although I will say, at least the quagmire like conditions underfoot on some of the pasture fields might prove conducive to a wader dropping in, as long as I get out before anyone else!

The weather looks a bit better tomorrow, hopefully I may even get a photo or two!


5 comments:

Derek Faulkner said...

I had an exactly the same morning on a part flooded reserve that had been turned into a quagmire in places by the removal yesterday of the cattle herd. Out in the open on the marsh I encountered torrential rain with no shelter to get in. Happy days on the North Kent marshes!

Pete Woodruff said...

'so a leisurely breakfast was had'....Don't want to be hearing any of this Warren, I want you out amongst the birds please.

Derek Faulkner said...

C'mon Warren, do as you're told.

Warren Baker said...

Derek,
Most of the top 5cm of ground here is just a watery mush, a nightmare to walk on if you're looking for birds and not where you are going!

Warren Baker said...

Pete,
I'm doing my best mate! It really is shit out there in the mud, rain and wind. If I could just find something new for my year list it would enthuse me a bit more! LoL