Another Short-Eared Owl, The Sluice and The Pond

Got the car today so thought I would go to the pond, via the Beehive flash. Pulled up at the corner, due to mud and me driving my Grandmas Nissan Micra, I walked round the edge of the farmers field until I could see the flash there was, 15 Teal, 7 Wigeon, Pair Gadwall, Pair Mallard, and 2 Roe Deer, a buck and a doe, just by the wood. As I turned round there was a Carrion Crow chasing a SEO, they were quite high with the Crow above the owl, stooping as they do too most BOP, the SEO was coming from underneath and giving the Crow as good as it got, it gave up after a minute or so and flew along the hedge line running west and landed in the rough grass in front of the Gorse bushes. I had a quick check of the small pond in that direction and it produced a pair of Mallard and 3 Grey heron. Next was off to the sluice in search of Jay and Kingfishers...

The two Rookeries down there were busy with birds bringing bedding material, soft grasses, mosses etc, should be laying soon. Female Sparrowhawk over the burn put most of the Woodies up and made most birds express there grief. Lots of Goldfinch, Great Tits, Blue Tits, Jackdaws and Magpies about, with a couple of Carrion Crow on the sea-marsh bit. Feral Pigeon flock and a Song Thrush on my way back to the car. Quite a lot of Daffodils as well.

Next off to the Pond, got there about 17:30 and was greeted by a Song Thrush at the gates. On the pond there was 31 Wigeon, 3 Little Grebe, 2 Great Crested Grebe, 2 Greylag, 1 Canada, 3 Mute Swan, 19 Tufted, 8 Mallard, Pair Shelduck, 4 Male and 1 Female Pochard, 4 Coot, 1 Common Gull, 3 Great Black Backed Gulls and a Moorhen. Also about Female Sparrowhawk, Reed Bunting, and 30+ Jackdaws moving West at 17:36.

Brings my patch list to 69.