karen's country calendar

Having not had a suitable opportunity earlier I decided I'd better get on with a bird count this morning although being a very dreary misty day I wasn't very hopeful. So 10am I sat down in the Conservatory and waited,   within 30 secs a single long tailed tit appeared followed shortly by a robin and blackbird. Then nothing for about 30 mins. Very frustrating as I could bird song in the trees.  Then a gold finch decided to have a quick feed on the sunflower hearts  and a little while after, a greenfinch followed suit.   At the back of the garden I had put out some apples and sprinkled some seed on the ground and eventually a woodpigeon, collared dove and blackbird found them.  I also spotted a dunnock hopping about in the trees above plus a few more woodpigeons. Just before I finished 3 gold finches appeared on the feeders and a bluetit briefly landed on one of them too..  so totals as follows: wood pigeon 4 collared dove 2 dunnock 1 robin 1 greenfinch 1 goldfinch

Despite being rather dull and overcast although not particularly unpleasant, we decided to visit Slimbridge Wetland Centre as we were in the area and hadn't been for many many years. I was quite surprised how many people were there including many carrying telescopes and long lens cameras and others set up in the numerous hides who provided valuable information and identification tips. I managed to add quite a number of species to this years bird list including Bewicks swan for which Slimbridge is well known, teal and pintail ducks and various waders comprising curlew, ruff, golden plover and snipe. There were also a few cranes in evidence plus various tits at the feeding stations.  an inquisitive robin same robin looking rather puffed up    Bewick swan teal pintail preening    spot the snipe - two of them   blue tit

A bright crisp morning and an invitation to join the Coopers for a walk at Fen Drayton provided a good start to my bird list for 2017!    The usual ducks and grebes were present together with numerous blue and great tits at a newly installed feeding station.  A track with a regular supply of bird seed scattered on it was busy with greenfinches, yellow hammers and reed buntings. Unfortunately few  photos possible due to distance of birds and accompanying small children!! Two cygnets from last year.    Future bird watchers!   Birds seen this year so far are blackbird, song thrush, robin, chaffinch,  blue tit great tit, dunnock, starling, wood pigeon, collared dove, yellowhammer, greenfinch, reed bunting, magpie, crow, jackdaw, barn owl, buzzard, kestrel, fieldfare, redwing,  mallard, moorhen, coot, shoveler, goldeneye,  pochard, tufted duck, great crested grebe, little grebe, mute swan, cormorant, various gulls but not positively identified from a distance, red legge