It was slightly more Autumnal today, but still quite warm with a few sunny spells and a southerly breeze. Bird activity increased a bit from yesterday, but then, it couldn't have been any slower!  My walk to the lakes and Scrubby Woods, via the Tree Nursery, was punctuated with the calls of the occasional MEADOW PIPIT, SISKIN and LESSER REDPOLL as they flew over. Two LONG TAILED TIT flocks were stumbled upon, one had a CHIFFCHAFF with it, the other had GOLDCREST with it, which I tried making into a Firecrest or Yellow Browed Warbler - no chance!

Over at the lakes a GREY HERON was fishing contentedly, and a dozen MALLARD plus 5 MOORHENS dabbled about, while watching the lakes a Corvid gave the ''Raptor'' call and looking up I saw a BUZZARD fly over. Two more Goldrest, a  TREECREEPER, NUTHATCH, GREEN and GREAT SPOTTED WOODPECKERS plus a few BULFINCH were seen in the Scrubby Wood.

After an hour or so I made my way back over to the Tree Nursery, and Pub Field, where a GREY WAGTAIL was feeding on the run off pool, on the Pub Field, just the Corvids and WOODPIGEONS fed, but as i scanned over the field, a flock of 5 LAPWING went over, sadly they didn't come down to join the Pigeons  :-(  .  A KESTREL hunted over the hedgerow between the Pub Field and Tree Nursery, then a few moments later the SPARROWHAWK was seen up hunting over the Wet Woods and the gardens along Ashes Lane. The only other bird of note was a single YELLOWHAMMER that flew over.

Ive got the next three days off work, so weather permitting I should be out for full patch walks for the rest of the week  :-)

Long Tailed Tit

Green Woodpecker

Back to work today, and so back to the afternoon patch visits, which invariably prove to be less productive than the mornings, today was particularly less so!  I paid a visit to the lakes and Scrubby woods, primarily to see if the Coot was still about, it wasn't, it had probably moved off overnight, but there is always a chance it was just well hidden somewhere  :-)

Whilst there the highlight of the visit appeared when a BUZZARD drifted low over, being mobbed by a KESTREL, other than that it was a very quiet afternoon, the warm sun and gentle breeze made it feel most summer like, and most creatures seemed to be taking time out somewhere - and who can blame them, it wont always be this easy for them in the coming months.

I made my way home after a short while, but went via the Tree Nursery, where 7 MAGPIES were again scolding a fox, and probably the same Kestrel as seen earlier was up hovering, it flushed up a MEADOW PIPIT, which circled round and alighted further back into the field. A LESSER BLACK BACKED GULL drifter over with a few HERRING and BLACK HEADED GULLS, but after a few minutes I decided upon going home to get some bird photo's at my feeders, given the good light  :-) with the following results.

20+ Of these GOLDFINCH'S were on the Sunflower hearts

Goldfinch

NUTHATCH Two of these came in

Nuthatch

BLUE TIT -  at least  15 of these were flitting about

Blue Tit