Back to Reality!!

 Well after a great week on Mull, Eagles, Otters, Harriers, etc, etc, It was back down to earth, yesterday with a walk around Beeding Brooks. I was hoping for a bit of Owl action, with loads over on the East coast and having seen one a couple of weeks ago at Norman's Bay, thought there could be a few turning up locally and this  area is always a good shout for them. Unfortunately the weather forecast of a sunny afternoon, was sadly wrong and it was pretty foggy as I set off, full winter plumage now, including Balaclava, melt ya head hat and thermal everything!! Margie had wisely decided to stay at home wrapped in a blanket, darning socks and writing Christmas Cards.

 Things started pretty slowly, a couple of Little Egrets were about and some Swans on the river. A beautiful pale-phase Buzzard sat the other side of the river was a bit of quality.

Common Buzzard

Little Egret

I walked on following the footpath, south of the river, bit muddy but no cows which is always a relief!! As I got further away from town, I started to see more birds, a lot of Fieldfares, some Redwings, a few Song Thrushes and Blackbirds, all very flighty and pics not easy in the fog. A Yellowhammer flew over my head and landed on the other side of the river, think there were a couple more in the hedges.

Herring Gull

Starling, few of these about as well as the Thrushes

Mute Swan, one of a pair that accompanied me for a while

Mallard

Fieldfare in the Mist

Fieldfare in Flight

Skulking Song Thrush

Misty Fieldfares

Redwing

Yellowhammer

Song Thrush

Buzzard in the mist

Linnets in the mist

Then the Swans kicked off with presumably the male of my two, having  a right go at a pair of interlopers coming down the river!

Getting fiesty

The victor

Continued along the river, visibility coming and going, mostly going😢 no Owls😢 Loads of Fieldfares though, also a Corn Bunting one of a small flock showed briefly. 

Corn Bunting

Splash of colour in what are admittedly very grey pics😂 Millions of berries on the trees which is what is attracting all the Thrushes, hopefully they will hold them here until the weather improves and I can try again with a bit of sunshine

Probably the one I got closest to!

By now the fog had rolled in to almost pea-souper territory!! There could of been twenty Shorties flying around the fields and I wouldn't of known it, so I headed home, pair of Stonechats the only sighting of note!

Stonechat

Think this is a Swan 😂

So cold, grey and miserable, and the weather weren't much better😏😂 but nice to see so many thrushes, couldn't get an Owl but with such poor visibility, it is highly possible there are some lurking around there, hopefully as they eat all the mice and voles on the east coast the place will be swarming with them in a few weeks!!!