Friday January 19

Well its been another busy day.

The humane rat-trap placed in the garden next to the shed has so far proved inadequate. On the other hand we haven't seen the rat since the weekend, so maybe the dodgey peanuts have discouraged it from returning.

A trip to the paper shop with my camera turned up four different Hawfinches. None posed with the light shining on them but I got a few silhouetted shots which have been "adjusted for light".

Hawfinch

After breakfast I set off to Arrow Valley Lake where I quickly added a male Tufted Duck to my year-list. Also present were a couple of Little Egrets and several Shovelers.

Tufted Duck

I had a cunning plan. This was to walk back along Blacksoils Brook to Ipsley Alders. The walk only took about thirty minutes and allowed me to see one or two Redwings, numerous tits, a few friendly dog-walkers, and what I suspect was a drugs pick up by a kid on a bike. All life is here.

Ipsley Alders was very pleasant indeed. The highlight was a yaffling Green Woodpecker and a small party of very obliging Siskins.

Male Siskin

Female Siskin

The male in the picture was singing his head off, and a female a few feet away seemed mesmerised by his efforts.

Towards the back of the reserve I spotted three gents standing chatting. Thinking they could be the ringing group I made a beeline for them, surprising a Fox in the process which ran off before I could get my camera out. It turned out that one of the group was a Worcestershire Wildlife Trust man, and the others were contracted to do some scrub clearance, one of them wielding a chainsaw. We chatted for a while until chainsaw man suddenly asked me if I ever went to Upton Warren, as I seemed vaguely familiar. I admitted that I did used to be a regular and revealed my identity. It turned out that he was Fergus Henderson, who I hadn't seen for about 25 years. Mind you I did have to agree that I had twitched the Barred Warbler he'd caught at Grimley about ten years ago, so I must have seen him as I saw the bird in the hand, Ferg's hand.  To be fair I now have no hair on my head at all, while Ferg has a long grey beard. The ravages of time.

I made my way back to Arrow Valley Lake, but added very little new. I did at least get to count the Shoveler flock which now stands at an impressive nine birds.

Nine Shovelers shovelling 

However, there was a final twist to the morning. As I pulled out of the car-park I spotted a Raven circling overhead, my third year-tick of the day.