With reports on the local Facebook group of a Firecrest singing in the Millennium Gardens, Margie and I decided to Twitch it!! I know sad right a Firecrest!!😕 Still it would be something different!!
We struggled to get up this morning so was a latish start, while I waited for Margie to get ready😏I looked out the window and there in all their glory, two Goldfinch on my Teasels!!! Now my Teasels have been much maligned, sworn about (perhaps people shouldn't walk around the garden in bare feet!!) However at last after several years finally we have Goldfinch, not a charm, but Goldfinch none the less. The pictures are not great, dull morning and through the windows but proof positive!! The garden has been doing well lately with Margie having great views of the local male Sprawk on Thursday while I was at work😢😡her pictures were a lot better than my Goldfinch efforts!
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| Margie's Sprawk |
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| Goldfinch on me Teasel (I know crap pic through glass but I don't care!!😁) |
We set off, some different coloured Crocus coming up in the Garden now, which makes a change, we walked up Marchants Road , I was regretting the decision to leave the scarf off as was much colder than yesterday with a layer of cloud and quite misty. A Pied Wagtail sitting on a roof distracted me from the cold, we entered the Hurst Meadows, I don't generally come over this side of town so was pleasantly surprised by this area, 20+ Meadow pipits on the wire and a very showy Pied Wagtail on the path in front of us!! As we approached the Gardens we had good views of a Kestrel and I made the obvious Star Wars joke which Margie thought was a Hilarious!!😂 I think!!
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| Crocus |
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| Rooftop Pied Wagtail |
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| Posy Female Pied Wag |
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| Meadow Pipits above the Meadow |
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| The Millennium Falcon😃 Hilarious right? |
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| Blackthorn Blossom |
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| Misty view By Margie |
We entered the Millennium Gardens after much wandering around we managed the briefest of views of the Firecrest (No Pic which we had heard singing and which flew over our heads into a thicket not to been seen or heard again) we also had brief views of a Goldcrest, slightly better views of a Nuthatch and plenty of the commoner stuff at this point we heard a Chiffchaff singing in February!!!Which I actually got some pics of!!
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| Nuthatch through foliage |
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| Chiffchaff |
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| Chiffchaff |
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| Blue Tit |
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| Redwing, Greenfinch and Goldfinch |
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| Catkins |
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| Long-tailed Tit |
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| Long-tailed Tit |
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| Interesting Stump by Margie |
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| Wren by Margie |
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| Fungus by Margie |
As we headed towards College Lane we found a nice area where some Greenfinches were squabbling, a couple of Bullfinches were also present and as we left the path on to College Lane a Leucistic Blackbird was on the path , quite a striking bird!
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| Showy Greenfinch |
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| This Bullfinch thought he was hidden but he hadn't counted on Vision Expresses finest Lens and Manual Focusing!!! |
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| Blackbird with a White head! Leucism is not that unusual in Blackbirds but stood out in this one! |
We headed up College Lane, lots of common birds, plenty of Goldfinch in the trees!! Nice to see some Primroses as well! As we approached the College Margie spotted a massive raptor that I couldn't ID? Pheonix possibly!!😀😲
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| Obligatory Church Pic |
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| Goldfinch |
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| Primrose |
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| Primrose by Margie |
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| Mystery Raptor by Margie |
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| Primrose by Margie |
We followed the Footpath from Malthouse Lane to Danworth Lane, fairly muddy here and not many birds though were some Redwing feeding in the Leaf litter and some Fieldfares and a couple of Herring Gulls in the field beyond!
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| Herring Gull |
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| Robin |
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| Fungus by Margie |
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| Lichen? by Margie |
The Sun was fully up now, thanks to a nice breeze it wasn't as hot as yesterday but still glad the scarf was at home!! From Danworth we headed to Langton Lane via the the Turkey Farm ,Tree full of Fieldfares, another showy Wagtail and some time spent at the weir trying for some arty water shots the highlight of this part of the walk!!
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| Fieldfare |
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| Fieldfare |
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| My Arty water shot! |
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| Reedmace, still no Penduline Tit!! |
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| Another showy Wagtail |
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| Airplane by Margie |
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| Margie's Water shot |
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| More Arty water by Margie!! |
We was flagging now, the birds seem to be tiring as well very quiet along the lane ,although we were escorted most of the length of it by a Kestrel, which was either a silhouette or hiding behind trees so the pictures are average and should of been a lot better considering how close it came!! Also Margie found a Spider, no idea what sort but quite an impressive looking beast if you like that sort of thing!!
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| Kestrel |
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| Kestrel |
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| Kestrel one of these day's I'm going to get a decent pic of this bugger!! |
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| Spider by Margie |
We arrived home one of our Daffs is looking quite good, pretty knackered another 5 mile walk!! A well deserved Sandwich and a slice of yesterdays Chocolate Cream Pie went down well.
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| Daffodil |
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| Well earnt Pie |
So a successful Twitch as we ticked the bird! Would have liked better a views and a photo op but was only a Firecrest so no drama!!!😀😀
Another enjoyable yomp with very pleasant company, although groaning at my jokes is not appropriate!! 😁
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