Oxon Hoath with Dave

Today I picked up Dave at 07.20 and drove to High House Lane where we park the car, as we got our belongings together we could hear Blue Tit, Chaffinch and Great Spotted Woodpeckers drumming.

This is the wet scrape where we sometimes get Snipe

A flock of Wood Pigeons were in the 1st field, just proving that the bird scarers within the field are useless! Carrion Crows and Green Woodpeckers spotted and heard and a noisy Pheasant also heard.

 As we walked  further I had a nice view of a Yellowhammer sitting on a fence post, it looked like a canary in the early sun and frosty conditions.

Dunnocks were spotted and heard singing and after Dave had made a quick call to Warren (pittswood birds) we added a Meadow Pipit to the tally and then just after a small flock of Long Tailed Tits and a Treecreeper.

Noisy Herring Gulls flew over us and then we spotted some Siskin within the Alder Trees, this was followed by a lot of Fieldfare, Jackdaws and Rooks and a few Goldfinch.

Blackbird next up and then a pair of Mallards in the field near a drainage ditch, and as we moved further up the field towards the big dead tree we spotted a Redwing and heard a Skylark.

Mistle Thrush (thanks guys)

Dave spotted a lone Lapwing and then we spotted a Song Thrush and a Mistle Thrush. At the lake area I spotted lone Moorhen and a lot of Starlings in the field to the right, Dave then spotted a Wren and we could hear the distinctive call of the Great Tit, and 3 Greylag Geese flew over us.

 As we moved towards the orchard area the rain had started and was getting quite heavy and we had just 1more spot beforfe heading back, a Robin and then lastly the call of the Stock Dove.

This was the 1st photo of the day, before the rain started.