A Typical November Morning On The Patch

As I headed out of the house at first light this morning to go to the Obs I could hear Chaffinches calling overhead and wondered whether there would be a few moving over the Obs. Five minutes later I was at the Obs heading off on my walk with virtually clear skies and a 10 mph 'keen' southeasterly wind.

As at home the first bird I had was a calling Chaffinch heading high south, but in all honesty the vis didn't amount to very much. I had three Reed Buntings, five Chaffinches, a Goldfinch, a Meadow Pipit, 92 Starlings, two Redwings, seven Woodpigeons and five Skylarks.

There weren't many grounded birds around either and all that I did consider as grounded were a Fieldfare, a Goldcrest and a group of two Reed Buntings and five Greenfinches that dropped in, before heading off south again. A couple of Stonechats showed fairly well, but these have been around for a while.

 Greenfinch

 Stonechat

There were a number of Pink-footed Geese dropping in to the farm fields and I had a total of 1,769 drop in. I had a look at them on my way home but unfortunately I was looking in to the sun, so I gave up.

There were a few bits on the sea and I had two Cormorants, a male Eider, 23 Common Scoters, two Auk sp., two Great Crested Grebes and three Pintails.

It's site visits for me tomorrow but I should be out at my feeding station on Tuesday to see how the numbers of Tree Sparrows are building. I'm hoping to set up another feeding station in a plantation closer to home soon, but more of that over the next few weeks.