I didn't think the weather could get any drearier than yesterday, but I was wrong, today was worse!  A persistent drizzle fell, coating everything in a wet film, and the cloud hung low, grey and and foreboding, yep, today was off the scale on the Gloom-o-meter!

When I arrived home from work this afternoon the 25kg sack of wheat that I ordered at the weekend was sitting on the doorstep, so after a bit of lunch, I took 5kg of it and spread it around the base of the tall hedge over at Migrant Alley, i'll add to it daily, and with luck next week it will have attracted some birds  :-)

As I approached the tall hedge, a few GOLDFINCH were sitting at one end, with a KESTREL at the other, don't want too much of the latter species hanging around this spot! A couple of SKYLARKS were heard out on the adjacent sheep pasture, and a lone HERRING GULL loomed out of the misty gloom as it went over.

I walked over to the Lakes next, passing through the Tree Nursery, where 6 MEADOW PIPIT were flushed up by a SPARROWHAWK whizzing low over, I also had a quick scan of the Pub Field, but there wasn't any Lapwing today, just a dozen BLACK HEADED GULLS. On the main lake, I could barely see across to the other side, but thought I could see my first Canada Goose of the month amongst the overhanging branches, however, when I looked through my bins it turned out to be two male MALLARDS and a male MANDARIN duck standing above them on a branch, just goes to show how poor the light was today!! Whilst I counted the Mallard of which there were 11, and MOORHEN of which there were 4, a pair of CORMORANTS dropped in and began to fish, I watched them successfully gobble down a couple of tiddlers, before they flew off elsewhere. The two smaller satellite lakes had another 8 Mallard and 6 Moorhen between them, but there was no sign of my first Kingfisher for the month, the November list was augmented however, when two STOCK DOVES (57) alighted in a tall silver birch tree, about time I found this species!

Not much else was seen of any note as I made my way home in the ever diminishing light, FIELDFARE, SISKIN, and LESSER REDPOLL were heard going over, but I was home for 4 o'clock.   :-(

Another very dark and grey winters day here, very apt then, that I should add GREYLAG GOOSE (55) to months list as I walked into work this morning, a skein of 34 flew over, then on the walk home a GREY WAGTAIL (56) was seen feeding on the manure heap at the College Stables. The sighting of the day however, was a few moments later, when the magnificent sight of at least 160 LAPWINGS lifting off from the Pub Field and flying overhead was witnessed, the only thing missing was finding a Golden Plover amongst them  :-)

After getting home and having a quick bite to eat I set off over to the Pub Field, just to see if there were any more Lapwing there, or maybe a possible Golden plover, on the way as I crossed the Tree Nursery, a COMMON BUZZARD flew out of the Wet Woods, it headed straight for me, giving some cracking views, it hung about for a few minutes circling my patch, until it got fed up with the mobbing CARRION CROWS, and moved off. When I reached the Pub Field, I found just a single Lapwing, with a dozen BLACK HEADED GULLS and the usual assortment of Corvids.

I made my way over to the Lakes and Scrubby Woods next, and was surprised to find a Common Darter Dragonfly still actively hunting at the edge of the Wet Woods. Over on the Lakes it was again a case of counting the MALLARD and MOORHEN with 23 of the former and 7 of the latter, while the Scrubby Woods was home to BULLFINCH, GREAT SPOTTED WOODPECKER, SISKIN, and a couple of REDWING that were guzzling the Hawthorn berries. A small flock of FIELDFARE flew over, as did two LESSER REDPOLL, but the light was now fading fast ( what little there was to start with!) so I made a quick visit to Migrant Alley, here the only notable sighting was of 5 MEADOW PIPITS and 2 SKYLARK out on the pasture.