More year ticks

I was busy on the morning of 19th and that's when Marek found the first Stonechat of the year, there may have been 2? I got there around 14:00 and luckily a male was still on show in the Phragmites ditch way off.

103 Shoveler were also present, so numbers are nearing the records of 130+ 22nd Jan 2005 and not far off the highest count of 146 in Dec 2016.

And despite being there each day, nothing much has happened, 24+ Mistle Thrushes still 17th was last big count, the odd Mandarin, no waders to speak of on LFGP.

Thursday 21st brought the first frost of the autumn.

Yesterday it was foggy but despite this a duck went over me quickly at Lavell's heading for Sandford, so in view for about 3-4 seconds, as it flanked I could see it had a long neck, sharp wings, pointed rear and was light brown with very pale below - a female Pintail, I never saw it again.

The views at Sandford were pleasant all the same.

Today, I checked Sandford first, 92 Shoveler, 3 Teal, 4 Gadwall, LFGP : 38 Shoveler, 27 Gadwall, 24 Teal, 2 Mandarin, 1 Green Sandpiper, Lavell's: 70 Gadwall, 5 Shoveler, 4 Teal, 35 Wigeon, 2 Water Rail heard again. Wigeon and Gadwall teasing me again for a nice shot.