Goodbye 2017....

Although I don't keep a year list the last day or two of the year always feels a little flat as I wait for the next year to kick off.  This morning once the rain had eased I headed over to Oundle for one final stroll along the Nene and while nothing of any great note was found it was still rather a pleasant wander.

Flooded fields around Oundle.

Walking out via the south bridge it was obvious that melting snow and recent rainfall had pushed the level of the river up and caused a lot of flooding to the surrounding fields. Flocks of Black-headed Gulls and those other great opportunists the corvids were not slow to take advantage of this changing landscape and congregated around and on the many new lakes in good numbers. At the marina the usual pair of Egyptian Geese were swimming around the boats, another was seen in a flooded field across the river from Barnwell CP.

Birds were not slow to take advantage of the floods.

A little way beyond the marina a large flock of geese were present on another flooded field and other floods attracted numbers of Wigeon and Shoveller. Lapwings too were drawn to the same area and a flock of about two hundred or so were feeding in a water logged field while a single Golden Plover was heard as it flew overhead. Grey Heron and Little Egret were noted hunting around the edges of several of these flooded areas while flocks of thrushes mainly preferred the drier areas.

Barnwell birds, the Robin was certainly not shy!

I had to turn around at the Lower Barnwell lock as the water level was too high for even my willies and so had some time to stroll around Barnwell CP. Not surprisingly it was busy with families and dog walkers and birds were in short supply. The feeders at Lowlands hide had not been filled so were quiet apart from a few Blue Tits and a few species feeding on the ground below. Several of the commoner passerines were found in other parts of the park but there really was not much else to report. With a little bit of time to kill before my bus I popped in for a couple of pints of Pedigree, a Happy New Year to all, cheers.

Grey Heron.