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Wednesday 3 December 2014

Couple of local wanders

Monday found me wandering along local footpaths, back from a coffee at Tesco. Very little to be seen and, with the light very poor, nothing worthwhile to photograph. Car headlights remained on until after midday!
Several green woodpecker, a single great spotted woodpecker along with increasing numbers of fieldfare and redwing. On the polo fields off Millfield Lane, 32 pied wagtails, 27 meadow pipits remain whilst the yellowhammers noted in good number the previous week have now moved on. However, a mixed flock of 92 gulls were also present. Majority were common gulls with 12 black headed gulls and a few lesser black backed gulls. A common buzzard was heard over Muggins Wood.
Today, a quick trip to the Hadham Hall lagoon and even less to note. The resident barn owl was at its roost but almost nothing else. A gas gun remains nearby, firing every 20 minutes, so I expect this to be the reason for no birds in what is usually a good area for linnets, yellowhammers, tufted duck and occasionally a reed bunting. 2 views of the lagoons here, plus a distant shot of a barn owl before it retreated into its treehole.

looking south east from Newspring Wood

same location looking south showing poor light conditions.
I have finally decided to put the moth trap away until February time as the catches are now minimal. One moth in the last two weeks, an Emmelina monodactyla taken on 30th November. Night time temperatures are, at present, so low no moth will be flying anyway.
Emmelina monodactyla

close up of wing markings

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