Ooh, that's the only 'waterbird' I'm ever likely to get on the Garden List as they nest about 5km downstream from here.
A productive hour in the half-light of dawn as I topped up the feeders this morning, first I heard two different Wren singing (I'm amazed I hadn't seen or heard any so far this year). Encouraged by that I stayed outside listening at first as it was still a bit dark, last year the first Song Thrush I heard was 22 Feb so I was hoping to hear that welcome music, instead I heard a quiet zitt and one flew right past me! Song will start tomorrow I bet. Then, most exciting of all a Lesser Spotted Woodpecker started calling, only the 4th record for me here, the others have all been between mid-November and 1 January so hopefully this one is a sign of possible breeding later on.
39 Wren
40 Song Thrush
41 Lesser Spotted Woodpecker
Lunchtime update edit. Sitting on the bench finishing my mackerel and salad (blood test for cholesterol next Monday
) and had just stopped watching a single crow coming from the mountains very high. A solitary panic call made me look up again, to see something tumbling down from the blue sky, feathers flying with a crow following the plunging bundle, through the bins I could confirm my suspicions, I managed to grab my camera just as they passed out of sight behind the trees, a female Gos with its Carrion Crow lunch and only one other crow had reacted fast enough. to try and harass the raptor. Very ropey photo (not of Ken's standard I'm afraid) of the drama unfolding.
42 Goshawk
