Saturday 2nd.January 2010

I had hoped to head for New Hythe today , with the promise of Goldeneye and Smew , but Carol needed some help shopping etc. so I had to put that trip on the backburners .
At lunch , just as the blue skies started to become cloudy , we had another visit from the fox , but this time it stayed right down the bottom of the garden , before crossing into next door's .
I set off after lunch for a look around Hayes Farm , in very crisp conditions , but at least the cloud rolled over and it was back to blue skies . For the first time this Winter , I found good numbers of Redwing and Fieldfare , pictured , feeding on the ground , before flying to the tree tops on my approach . I must admit that I didn't find many berries on the way round , these two species probably , systematically cleaning them out . Nothing really exciting or out of the ordinary , just clocking up the expected species . As I approached the Trout Fishery , the Egyptian Goose was feeding on the field alongside the lake , but it looked different to how I remembered it on my last visit . On the lake itself , still about one third frozen over , the white farmyard type Geese were all huddled together in one corner . Shortly afterwards , two anglers arrived and almost everything on the lake headed for the entrance , probably thinking they were going to be fed . On checking them all out , the Egyptian Goose question was answered , when two swam over . The darker headed one at the back is the one I usually see , the lighter headed one , the one I saw earlier . I am not sure , but I think the new one is a female and the original a male , anyway , he had a smile on his face . No new species found , I started back to the car , finding the last of nine rabbits , out feeding on the field edges . Almost back at the stile , a flock of 25/30 Finch types flew over and seemed to be going to roost in the trees on the boundary with the back gardens of the adjacent houses . I couldn't make them out at first , as they landed into the now very low sun , but from another angle , I was able to see that they were mainly Linnets with the odd Goldfinch mixed in .
The temperature was dropping by the minute now , but 28 species seen , not counting the farmyard types , plus another 3 from the garden this morning , sent me home feeling well pleased .