Monday 5th.April 2010

Got out for a couple of hours this afternoon , thinking that things would have warmed up a bit , but I was wrong . Without the sun it was definitely chilly .
I headed for the Little Owl sight , again , beyond the Trout Fishery at Hayes Farm , and once again I failed to get a sighting . I am determined to see them one day , but I'm not holding my breath . I walked from the site to the Trout Fishery with plenty of Tit song and the occasional Chiffchaff , and near the Fishery , a doleful Mistle Thrush . As I got to the Fishery , I knew that there would be very little on the water , as around the lake were 8/10 anglers , and one of them even caught a Trout whilst I was there . Plenty of Coots and Moorhens , Canada Goose on it's nest on the island in the middle , no sign of the Egyptian Geese or the Little Grebes and no duck species other than Mallard types and the Farmyard types . Gt. Spotted and Green Woodpecker were both heard , and a pair of Fieldfare flew over and into the woods behind .
I cut through the woods on the way back to the car , a misjudgement , as the path was very muddy and lots of lying water . As I approached a very small stream , I was surprised to put up a pair of Mandarin , who seemed to have difficulty flying through the woods , and seemed to be cursing me for interrupting them as they did so .
The path led me onto the football pitches in Norman Park , close to where the River Ravensbourne , that used to flow in a culvert below the fields , but now meanders naturally on it's way to Bromley and beyond . Now that the planted trees and shrubs have matured , it makes a nice feature across a once uninteresting part of the Park . Another look for the Little Owls as I left , was as unsuccessful as the first attempt .
Today was the first time going out with the new camera where it hasn't been used , but there's always next time .
At home , I got a call from my Warden , to tell me that he had found out what the knocking sound that he has been hearing outside was . A pair of Nuthatches , could be the ones that I posted a few days ago , are looking to use the Tit box , close to two of the feeders on the back of his house . I told him that it is more usual for them to chose a hole slightly larger that their size and reduce the size with mud , rather than opening up a hole . If they do finish up nesting there , there could be some photo opportunities in a few weeks time .