Peregrine

A very quick BSL sailing club scan revealed a few Pochard, at least 22 pairs of Goldeneye and 300-400 BH Gulls. As usual a dog walker was using the beach to throw a ball for her spaniel and after a few glares on my part I decided to quit and go to a quieter spot.Parking by the Lavell's yellow gate, I took a few arty shots of the iceicles produced by cars splashing throught the freezing flood waters.

The Loddon has dropped quicker than I expected and on my walk down this morning around 09:00 the pair of Mandarin flew off over Lavell's just before the green bridge. A few Redwing just beyond it, around the feeders, Reed Bunting and all the usual tits.

At LFGP the water was still very high, with Wigeon distributed all over the lake, a handful of Teal, 200, or so Black Headed Gull, 3 imm Herring, 2 LBB's, 1 Common, 4 Lapwing, then a pair of Redshank came in from the North and moved noisily around the NE corner. A lone Sand Martiin shot up the SE corner.

About to leave I did a last pan around and saw a bird beyond Lodge Wood, but it was heading West so lost it immediately, I waited for it to emerge on the other side, but a crow appeared, then the bird, as suspected it was a Peregrine and was now heading SW over Lodge Wood, getting closer. It kept going and went SW, left of the hide, about 150 yards North, by size appearance I would say a female.