Village round up

A few walks over the last 10 days or so have realised very little apart from a few expected year listers around the village: goldcrest and yellowhammer. The former too fast for the camera on one of many grey and overcast days. A walk all the way to the irrigation lagoon gave up a solitary coot! Plenty of common gulls around on the polo fields and golf club, but very small numbers of winter thrushes, with a party of 30 fieldfare and 15 redwing being the best around at present. Several red kite and a walk from town to home last Sunday gave great views of 6 common buzzards.

coot

yellowhammer

goldfinch

goldfinch

great tit

blue tit

A check on local wild flowers came up with a few aconites and the dog mercury in grass verges along Ford Hill. See top of post.