Another grey November afternoon beckoned, and with it was a chill in the air, but as most days, I made a visit to my patch, albeit camera-less again!

I made my way to the lakes again, via the Tree Nursery and Pub Field rather than going the Small Holding and Wet Woods route,  I counted 18 MEADOW PIPITS, 15 LINNETS and a GREEN WOODPECKER as I walked through the Tree Nursery, then on exiting here, I walked the dividing hedgerow with the Pub Field, and found a party of busy LONG TAILED TITS with two GOLDCRESTS. Out on the Pub Field were at least 50 BLACK HEADED GULLS, and again around 20 LAPWING were present, but no sign of the Buzzard today, however, another raptor was on show - a PEREGRINE (61) it flew over the field, having the effect of putting everything up, so I quickly moved on to the lakes.

I could hear the TEAL calling as I approached the ornamental lake that is situated in the grounds of the large house, it had moved lakes again  :-) with it were two pairs of MALLARD. On the adjacent main lake a CORMORANT was fishing, more Mallards were recorded.

here's a couple of garden bird photo's from the sunny Sunday just gone.

COAL TIT

STARLING

I did much the same walk as yesterday after work today, but the warm sunny conditions seen this morning soon disappeared, and the low cloud with mist rolled in again, very frustrating!

The TEAL was still present over at the lakes, it had moved back onto the main lake, with it were a few MALLARDS and MOORHENS, the smallest of the two satellite lakes had a single CANADA GOOSE and more M & M' s, but the ornamental lake was empty, probably disturbed by the gardener of the large house, the grounds of which the lake is situated.

I again encountered the LONG TAILED TIT flock around the edge of the main lake, but there wasn't any other species with them today. In the adjacent Scrubby Woods a few BLACKBIRDS, SONGTHRUSHES, and REDWING flew up from the woodland floor, but not a hoped for Woodcock. BULLFINCH and TREECREEPER were heard calling, and whilst I watched a GOLDCREST, it started up it's high pitched song  :-)

Making my way over to the Tree Nursery, 4 single LESSER REDPOLL were heard going over from east to west, as were a couple of SISKIN, but the Tree Nursery itself was all quiet apart from 16 MEADOW PIPIT, there were probably more out in the shrubs, but I didn't go through all the bushes, I instead followed the track to the Pub Field, here there were 52 BLACK HEADED GULLS some on the seedling grass, some winging there way up and down the field, occasionally dropping down on some morsel to eat. Whilst I watched them through my bins, I noticed two well camouflaged LAPWING sitting well out in the field, then scanning round saw the BUZZARD sitting on a fence post, it seems to have made this field his home this week!

As yesterday, my last place to visit was the tall hedge at Migrant Alley, today there were 8 YELLOWHAMMER, feeding on the wheat grain, this seems to be the most the grain is attracting at the moment, but i'm sure more will come in if it gets colder. A quick skyscan revealed nothing but greyness, but as I cleaned my lenses on my bins, a flock of 43 Lapwing flew over, heading towards the Pub Field, I couldn't tell if they joined the other two there though.

I took the camera out today, as it was sunny initially, but the incoming cloudy conditions were against photography really. here's the results!

The long staying Teal, -  yes, here three days is a long time for a teal to stay on the lakes!

Buzzard on the fence post - just look at the gloom in the background  :-(

The Buzzard took off and was immediatly mobbed by a CARRION CROW

The CHAFFINCH photo, below, was taken at my feeders on Sunday afternoon

Chaffinch