Thursday 29th.January 2009

Well , I've finally got it back , and nakedness , hopefully , will be a thing of the past . My camera arrived back today , and as we had finished our work earlier than anticipated , I got the opportunity to get out and abouit this afternoon to make sure things were working properly .

My first stop was Keston Ponds , where the 'Friends of Keston' had just finished clearing up all the rubbish deposited in and around the ponds by anglers and other visitors . The Mallard type numbers have gone up to over 30 and an additional Canada Goose brings them up to 4 . I could only find 5 Mandarins , 1 female short from last visit . Three of them , 2 males and a single female ,were asleep on a branch , just above the water line .

Also still around is the male Ringed Teal . He is never still , paddling from one end of the pond to the other , with those stumpy short legs .

The other usual suspects were around in their usual numbers .

Near where I parked the car , I noticed that the catkins on the Hazel bush were well open , so I stopped to see if any of the female flowers were out yet . It took some searching , but eventually

I found the odd one or two flowers just bursting bud , and you can see the pollen released from the male catkins on the female flower and bark , blown by the wind . These pollinated female flowers , if allowed , will go on to produce the Hazel/Cob nuts .

The camera was working fine , so I decided on another try for the Stonechats on the Bridleway at Rouse Farm . In the field below what was the milking parlour , the 2 Mistle Thrushes were fossicking on the ground , in almost the same spot as last time . At the other end of the field , 3 Redwing were feeding on the ground , the first I have seen for a little while now . The noisy pair of Rose Ringed Parakeets were in their Oak at the dog-leg in the Bridleway . As I approached the old fence line where I first saw the Stonechats , I saw a movement in the hedge , but it turned out to be a pair of Wrens , who noisily scolded me for interupting them . I scanned the fence line and the hedges both sides , but no sign of the Stonechats , but I did get distant views of a Sparrowhawk being seen off firstly by a Magpie , then a pair of Carrion Crows , until it was off their patch .

In the field beyond the hedge , the 6 ewes now have 6 lambs , but are still segregated , for some reason from the rest of the flock .It isn't because they are the only ones with offspring , as in other fields , I estimated 12/15 lambs that I could see , and probably more that I couldn't . I noticed quite a few Carrion Crows in attendance in those fields , no doubt waiting to do the cleaning up . Most young were singletons , but I did see two sets of twins .

On the way home , I stopped off at the Common , but things were very quiet , but I'll be up there working tomorrow , so might find something then . By now the sun was dropping and so was the temperature , so I made my way home .