Sunday 13th February - Yuk !

Well that's Sunday's weather - a complete wash out - Cleaned the greenhouse - which was the only outside/inside thing I could do without getting soaked. 

Saturday turned out to be a dry and fairly bright day - but I only had a couple of hours in the morning before minding Adie and her friend and then taking them up to the school for an open day, consisting of a Parents v's Teachers netball match (which I avoided participating in but Sally helped organise).

So my couple of hours consisted of a walk into Ebernoe. The garden was filled with birds, still holding c30 Chaffinches, 20 + House Sparrows ( largest numbers in 12 years) and up to 10 each of Goldfinch and Greenfinch. Great Spotted Woodpecker, Nuthatch, Dunnock, Robin, Song Thrush, Mistle Thrush, Blackbird, Marsh Tit, Wren, Great Tit and c20 Blue Tits - all these before I'd reached the gate at the end of the garden where a Treecreeper was on the trellis and a female Sparrowhawk flew through causing a commotion but left empty-handed. A Bullfinch flew along the back fence and the field still held a few Redwing. The trout farm pond had 9 Tufted Duck, 4 Coot and 3 Moorhen along with the Mallard. and 4 Cormorants were flying around.  In the woods themselves I added Kestrel, Buzzard, Siskin, Goldcrest and a Tawny Owl gave a brief hoot and a distant Roe Deer was sitting in a field. I had a male Firecrest in a Holly bush which I was trying to take a picture of when 3 bull-terrier type dogs bounded up the path barking furiously, with the owner seemingly ignoring the disturbance - Rather than sniff and pass they surrounded me and I started to get pawed and barked at - The ignorant owner just passed by assuming they would follow which they didn't - I then had words with the dogs and then the owner - Eventually, without an apology they disappeared, needless to say the Firecrest had vanished as well.  Despite seeing quite a few Firecrest since the start of last autumn my attempts to get a decent picture have always been hampered by me being cak-handed but now the hounds of hell have been unleashed to thwart me - Reaffirms my dislike for barky dogs. Back at the house 2 Canada Geese flew over then 6 Buzzards were doing aerial displays, ....

Trout Farm Tufted Ducks with Mallard and Coot - A record 9 were present !

Distant Roe Deer

Dunnock in garden