After two weeks with no birding, not through choice mind, every free day I've had it's been pissing with rain😢!! Hasn't been all bad though couple of Barn Owls on our work site have been good and plenty of thrushes about as well, but no bins or camera at work and of course work itself getting in the way of the birding don't help! 😀 Todays forecast was better but with the lockdown back in force it was back to the Hurstpierpoint Patch, was a bit misty when I arrived on site 5 mins after leaving the house, Margie deciding the stay in bed option was the order of the day ,so on my own set off full of hope and expectation!! Was soon dashed, the first field has been seeded ,right to the edge of the path so looks like the large set aside area from last year has gone which is a shame the only birds about were Corvids, Woodpigeons and Pheasants.
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Misty Start
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Pheasants
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Things improved slightly over the crossroads with a small flock of Blue Tits and Goldcrests feeding through the bushes ,obviously Goldcrests are a bugger to take pictures of at the best of times and the misty conditions did not help😡 The Moon showed ok though despite the mist.
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Goldcrests this is the best shot of about 50 attempts !!
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The Moon is a bit easier than the Goldcrests
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Misty Scene
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The glades as I call them were quiet, a few Dunnocks and a couple of Song Thrushes the best I could muster, I decided to head to the church ,hoping the Yew Tree with the Berries would be loaded with Thrushes, no chance, a solitary Great Tit was in the tree ,most of the berries have gone so looks like I missed that boat chasing Masked Shrikes and Vultures!! I wandered down the road ,but again it was mostly Pheasants and Pigeons ,I cut back into the Patch the mist if anything was getting thicker ,more birds here a Bullfinch seen leaving the scene, they are flighty around here and though i see them most visits ,I'm yet to get a decent Photo op. More Goldcrests here, more time spent trying to get pictures of them!! 😏 A Robin at least posed ok and a small flock of Siskins flew into some Alders.
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More Pheasants
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More Pheasants
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Robin
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Siskins
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Goldcrests
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Goldcrest
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Goldcrest
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Goldcrest
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Goldcrest
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A large White Bird appeared briefly through the mists, maybe because of the birds at work ,I thought Barn Owl! Although within in about half a nano second I realised it was far to white, and seconds later a Little Egret flew out of the mist!! Denied!!😡😬
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Little Egret just after it's Owl impression
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By now the Sun was trying to burn off the mist as forecast, although considering it has a core temperature of 15 million degrees C it was making hard work of it!!😲 In Margie's absence I tried a few misty, cobwebby type arty pics, with dubious results.😅
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The Sun trying it's Best
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Cobwebs
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More Cobwebs
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With the Sun winning it's battle I reversed my course and headed back to the church a stand of three old Oak trees produced yet more Goldcrests and some very vocal Nuthatches as I was trying for pics of them a Treecreeper appeared right in front of me though didn't hang around for long!! Which is always good!
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Another Robin
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Nuthatch
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Nuthatch
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Treecreeper
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With the Sun now fully in command the birds seem to warm up a bit a Blackbird and a Wren posed nicely and I had flyovers of Yellowhammer, Skylark, Greenfinch, Meadow Pipit and Green and Great Spot Woodies. I also saw a few Chaffinches and Goldfinches.
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Posy Blackbird
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And again
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Wren
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A Kestrel came through quickly being severely harassed by a Crow ,it eventually settled on top of a large Oak tree where it preened it's ruffled feathers back into shape.
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Kestrel
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| Kestrel |
I decided to head back to the car, the Glades were busier now mostly common stuff a Blue Tit showed well and a Green Woodpecker flew around for a bit before settling in a bush, another Bullfinch appeared briefly and there were a couple of Yellowhammers on the wires near the car ,things definitely improved when the sun came out!
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