Friday 20th January

For a change instead of cycling to the Meadow for the last hour of the day as I usually do, today I walked over at around midday. One of the advantages of walking is that one can get to appreciate more of the local bird life en route. For example, I was able to check out the Spinney stream today where I was pleased to find a LITTLE GREBE (a patch year tick). I've heard reports of up to three on this stream but this is the first time that I've actually seen them myself. I tried to get closer for a photo but the grebe was having none of it and shot off underwater at great speed.

The Meadow floods themselves are still strangely empty compared to a couple of weeks ago. The one big increase in numbers has been with the golden plover flock which now numbers at least 1000 birds and that's probably being conservative. The two RUFF and three REDSHANK were still about and there was a SHELDUCK around today but no pintail at all. The two RAVENS were flying around in the distance over Burgess Field briefly and a RED KITE was about for most of the time that I was there. With the unseasonal influx of rare waders in the county in the form of a grey phalarope and a Temminck's stint, let's hope that we get something special turning up soon on the Meadow.

One of the three redshank (taken on Wednesday)

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