Early mornings

I've been threatening and finally got out of bed this morning, arriving at Lea Farm GP at 06:05, perhaps 10 minutes earlier would have been better as the sun was just up over the brow and making it pretty hard to see much on the NE corner, the mist didn't help much either.

More or less as soon as I arrived, 2 Oystercatcher darted thru low and onward toward DP, I couldn't see any other waders, but the mist did prevent finding any Snipe.

It was evident there was a little Wood Pigeon movement going on, with many groups of 15-50 passing NE, certainly no less than 250 went thru in 50 minutes. Quite a few small birds were darting about North too, mostly finch looking, than pipit. A lone Nuthatch on the feeders.

42-45 Fieldfare were still loitering over the far landfill, 1 Skylark up, a few Redwing, a Sparrowhawk displaying. About 70 Wigeon on the lake edge and grazing, less than 10 Teal and Gadwall, I also saw a Mistle Thrush in the Willows next to the road on the edge of the DAC.

Someone said to me recently that they never see Rooks even over their garden and I told them I have them in my garden every day, which I know is quite uncommon really as they do like their open grassy spaces. So here are this mornings shots of 4 of them scoffing bread and scraps from last nights dinner

My late morning update : 12+ Meadow Pipit, a trickle of 1' & 2's and a 4 North, the 3 pipit sp heading SW were too far to ID. There was actually a lot flying North in the bright sun, heard a Siskin, 2 wagtail sp, various other little jobs, mostly too far away.

A spectacular Buzzard stood out from the crowd, it was all white underneath, bar some dark streaks on the flanks, all white head, dark carpals, primary and secondary tips and nearly all the tail was white too, amazing looking bird.