Blue Skies

 Having eaten our weight in Cheese Scones and Victoria Sponge (see yesterday's post) and polished off the last of the Christmas Cake 😲Margie and I decided to push it a bit further for our exercise walk today, walking (rather than driving) the mile or so to "the Patch" then looping around and coming back down the Albourne Road a total of 3.98 miles, 😏most of it through thigh high mud!! 

Early start in bright sunshine and blue skies, our road was full of Starlings and Sparrows chirping away, first bird of interest was a Greenfinch sitting high on a conifer at the entrance to Bullfinch Lane, several of the more common birds sat high in the trees catching some rays from the early morning sun as well😎😎

Greenfinch

Greenfinch

Nicely Lit Collared Dove

Magpie just Chilling!

A little way down the lane, glimpsed through the hedge a Buzzard was sat out in the sun anxious moments until I got to the gate where there was a clear view, but no worries managed a few shots despite nearly having a heart attack when a small dog started barking at me through the hedge.!! Yappy little bugger!!!

Buzzard in nice light

Buzzard

We carried on down the lane nice to see some Sparrows near the farm and Song Thrush that thought I couldn't see it!! Posy Robins down here, loads about at the moment and I managed a different angle in my series Hurst Church through the angles!!😄

Hurst Church 

House Sparrow

Song Thrush

Robin

We followed the path through and under the A23 ,couple of Goldcrests here ,but wouldn't pose😢😢 some nice Catkins on the trees and we were on "the patch" the glades looked nice in the sunlight but apart from the odd Dunnock, Blackbird and Wren was pretty quiet although a Jay appeared briefly though didn't really pose well!!

My Attempt at the Catkins

Jay told you it didn't pose well😀

Margie's Catkins

"The Glades" by Margie

We wandered around the patch, quite quiet, Bullfinch, but distant, Green Woodpecker, but flighty, Great Spotted Woodpecker, playing hide and seek a Song Thrush on the path always just a bit ahead of the Lens and a Flock of Redwings and Fieldfares just in the wrong place sun wise, I know I'm never bloody happy!!😀😀😀😀

Bullfinch (told you it was distant)

Song Thrush

Green Woodpecker (The usual view as they fly away laughing)

Green Woodpecker

Song Thrush

Part of the Fieldfare and Redwing flock

Male Great Spotted Woodpecker

We went on to Church Lane then up and over the fields, very squelchy, Margie nearly lost a boot!! Some Crows in a dead tree, another Buzzard which didn't pose, the field held quite a large flock of Meadow Pipits which were typically flighty and distant! Difficult to gauge numbers but at least 20 probably a few more!

Robin with impressive wood

More of a Manslaughter of Crows 

Bolshy Great Tit

Meadow Pipit

Meadow Pipit (nice effect with the wet grass)

We squelched along following the footpath another field ,this time I thought I could here Skylarks, couldn't spot them until a bloke with a couple of dogs came along and they took to the air probably about 25 all told which wasn't to shabby had a few minutes fun trying to get pictures of them as they flew around the field! My best efforts below

Black-headed Gull This obviously isn't a Skylark keep scrolling😃 

Also not a Skylark another posy Robin

We eventually reached the Albourne Road quite a lot of people out and about now but  all behaving responsibly, indeed Margie was behaving so responsibly she nearly got run over ,which would of been ironic and also extremely upsetting obvs😢 we made it home safely and undid all the good work with another slice of Victoria Sponge. Anyone who thinks Birding is not exercise should try carrying 10kgs of gear, through 3.98 miles of mud my legs are killing me!!!!

Returning to the settee where it's safe I was delighted to see the blackcap visiting the apple I put out a couple of weeks ago!! the amount of joy I get out of this seems disproportionate to the rarity of the bird I feel it demonstrates how stir crazy I'm going even with the local walks, missing the coast big time!!

Blackcap on apple

Our Garden Blackbird