Sunny day locally........

Dec 20 - At last, a sunny morning, and a productive hour at Shorncote. The first Golden Plover flock I have seen over here for several months, 80+ birds, together with a mobile flock of 150+ Lapwings, a Snipe in flight, and 3 Little Egrets outnumbering the one Grey Heron. Water Rails calling in the reedbeds numbered at least 6-7 birds, 20+ Teal were in the area - also Green Woodpecker calling, an obliging male Stonechat, 4 Cetti's Warblers singing and 3 Chiffchaffs along the stream, 10 Reed Buntings, a Goldcrest and a Grey Wagtail. 20+ Redwings wary as usual, 2 Yellowhammers (scarce here) and 4 Bullfinches in the hedgerow also seen. A beautiful sunny morning, a real treat, but flooding up to 9" deep by the hide. At dusk a quick look at Blakehill gave some distant views of the one wintering Short-eared Owl, but it remained too far away for the camera, despite the perfect light, and at 4pm flew high and dropped towards Purton Stoke. A male Stonechat was in the scrub, and Fieldfares and Redwings flew over.