I’ve been suffering from this widespread lurgy so a bit of
an effort even to drag myself out today and it was very quiet apart from my
first Sparrowhawk of the year, a cracking little male, and a flock of around 35
Lesser Redpoll in the field by the school.
In the Magic Garden a small group of Mallard got up off the Lake but out of the corner of my eye I saw a different duck spring out of the reeds but
lost it almost immediately. I accidentally flushed the same bird from the bog
area later. It was a female Shoveler, a nice sighting given the first parish
record was only in December.
A little bit of serendipity here as well – I have a Kingfisher
call as one of the ringtones on my phone. A friend texted me, the call went off and almost
immediately a calling Kingfisher flew in and perched within a few feet of me on
the little jetty. I was so surprised I didn’t even lift my camera and soon,
realising its mistake, it shot back off across the water
I also have Quail as one of my tones, I’m looking forward to
the same happening this summer!
On the final patchwork challenge results for 2015 I just
managed to scrape in to win the Inland North mini-league, a hair’s breadth
ahead of Steve Ward from Wensleydale.
There’s a bit more local rivalry this year as well with
Chris Knight in Thrintoft also joining the fray…
I'm sure I won't be that much of a rival... though I did get woodcock today!
ReplyDeleteWhere was that? I didn't catch up with one all last year
DeleteIn the thin strip of wood opposite St Wilfrids church... nearly trod on it. I recall you found one roosting in a tree. Was that 2014 already? Also had barn owl tonight from the car. 65/67
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