Sunday 18th.January 2009

A crisp sunny afternoon sent me off to High Elms Country Park for a two hour walk . The walk was fine , but very short on wildlife .
As usual , Rose Ringed Parakeets were most numerous , but followed very closely by Magpies . Several Nuthatch were seen/heard , some giving their Spring 'whee,whee,whee' call and some their 'keeping in touch call' , similar to a Blue Tit and just one with the normal 'twit,twit,twit' call . Just below Burnt Gorse , I came across a flock of 10/12 Long Tailed Tits , who were quite prepared to feed within 2 mtrs. of where I stood .
No sign of the Common Buzzard beyond Burnt Gorse , but as I went looking for it , I put up two Roe Deer in the woodland above . I didn't get a chance to see their gender , just their back ends at pace away from me .
I had a look for fungi that I have found there in previuos years , Sarcoscypha coccinea-Scarlet Elf Cup and although this is it's fruiting time , there was no sign as yet .
At the Conservation Field , the fencing is finished now , and I would like to think that the field will be grazed in future , rather than cut and taken off . Grazing will make it more beneficial for butterflies , but it is also managed for orchids and there is a five bar gate giving 12ft. access at one end , we will have to wait and see .
The odd Robin , Song Thrush , Wren , Blue and Great Tit made up the rest of what was seen , not a great deal .
On the way home , I called in at the Farm Lake , primarily to see if the Coltsfoot , which grows there prolifically was showing , following the photo posted by Steve/Kingsdowner yesterday . Unfortunately , the area has been strimmed by the gardener very recently , but even so , there was no sign of growth yet . My book says Feb/April in flower , so given the severity of this Winter , Steve's finding is unusual .
There were no surprises on the lake , with 1 Grey Heron , 15 Mallard type , 1 Coot and one Moorhen . I thought one or more of the Mandarins , which seem to have vacated Keston Ponds , might have taken up residence , the odd one has done so in the past , but nothing this time .
I couldn't return home without checking out the Stonechats that I found yesterday . I parked at the end of the Bridleway and walked in from there . Two things were different from yesterday .There was a fresh wind blowing across the fields and there were several groups of people passing along the Bridleway . I scanned the fenceline in the quiet periods , but I did not find them . I shall try again soon .