....and Hello 2018

As I mentioned previously I don't bother much with year lists but that does not mean that the 1st doesn't have any pull, I still like to get out and see what's about. Previous years have seen me go from one extreme to another, Western Sandpiper one year in Norfolk (backed up by Coue's Arctic Redpoll) to a dismal drenching down in Brixham spent dipping a diver. Today fell somewhere in between those two with a reasonable selection of species on offer.

Buzzards looking for worms and House Sparrow.

My first bird of the year was a Carrion Crow, it was heard cawing away before the curtains were even opened. A Rook followed soon afterwards and the drawn out wolf whistle of a Starling was heard while I was enjoying a coffee. By the time I'd left the Old Village I'd passed double figures and that included my first raptor, a Red Kite. Other species followed as I walked up Geddington Road with a large flock of tits being found joined as is so often the case by several Goldcrests. A high pitched whistle had me looking around at one point until I remembered it was coming from Weldon Woodland Park, a favourite dog walking area. The sound of a chap bellowing at what must have been a strong willed and evidently wayward hound confirmed this a moment later.

Lapwings and Grey Wagtail.

A couple of Buzzards were presumably feeding on worms at the grass airstrip near Laundimer House, a Raven called nearby. Heading out across the fields on the public footpath between Bears Lane and the A427 added a few more species, Meadow Pipit and Skylark and a flock of about thirty five Lapwings. Nearby at Deenethorpe Airfield a Snipe called as it zig-zagged off and away, a Grey Wagtail fed on a large heap of earth. Both species of the commoner bunting were found and a Brown Hare was noted as it sped away over the fields.

Deenethorpe Airfield.

Deene Lake inflow was as inundated with water as I can recall but despite this I managed to accidently flush seven Snipe as I went to take a photo. Even the Teals didn't seem too keen and numbers were low. On the main lake five Shelducks were seen and there was a small flock of half a dozen or so Pochards. Overall numbers of wildfowl seemed low, several spent shot gun cartridges suggested some recent disturbance while Great Crested Grebes had probably not returned after the last freeze. Numbers of geese though were high and there was at least one Black Swan present too.

The flooded inflow at Deene Lake.

By now a light rain had begun to fall and I stopped to eat some food at the church, a look for Hawfinches proved to be unsuccessful. The farm ponds were quiet too with just a Gadwall there and new birds from now on were hard to find. Passing Kirby Hall I decided to pop down for a visit and was most pleasantly surprised to find a pair of Willow Tits on the edge of a shelter belt. Around the hall a group of Peacocks were nice if obviously not tickable and a Muntjac was feeding on the edge of a field.

Scenes from Kirby Hall.

Last things of note were two separate small herds of Fallow Deer seen at Weldon Industrial Estate. Not a bad day overall with the odd decent thing to keep the day interesting.

Muntjac and Fallow Deer.