Parish boundary wander 16.11.11

Setting off from Tesco I picked up the westerly and then southerly footpath that skirts around Bury Green before reaching Hadham Golf Club. From here I continued along paths until Bush Wood and the Ash Valley. In all 4.5 hour wander.
A total of 32 bird species recorded, with quantity being supplied by wood pigeons (1000+), jackdaws (500+) redwing and fieldfare (300+) and starlings (250+.) The light was atrocious, as the photo above of a rabbit proves. Good birds were treecreeper, sparrow hawk, a covey of 17 red legged partridge, a grey heron, 2 kestrels and a pair of bullfinches. A check on a pond on private land that I now have permission to visit gave views of only mallards(3.) I also popped in to a disused barn where I disturbed a little owl: too quick for the camera. Throughout the walk I kept hearing and seeing pied wagtails heading west. All was revealed in a ploughed field near the River Ash, where I encountered a feeding party in excess of 27. The sparrow hawk, top photo, put these birds up, before they returned to the plough. In all, a pleasant walk.