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MORNING GARDEN WATCH – AFTERNOON WALK ALONG STOFORD STREAM

WEATHER: drab, wet and windy for most of the day. After 3pm the sky cleared and we had sunny spells, a cold wind persisted . Temp 8C

It was raining when we got up at 7am and it was still raining at lunchtime, I watched the garden birds from time to time and listed a few nice species on my lawn. A succession of scavengers searched the grass for morsels of food, Carrion Crow, Magpie, Jackdaw and Wood Pigeon were followed by Phez the Pheasant, Chaffinch, Blackbird and a Robin.

By 2pm it was drying out and the sky started to clear, I went out at 3pm and walked to the stream, I followed it into Yeo Valley but I didn’t see much at all, a couple of Ravens flew along the slope of Rook’s Hill and a Green Woodpecker called from down in the valley. I turned around just past the derelict farm buildings and decided to seek out the shelter in the woods along the stream to the south of the railway line.

The woodland is starting to turn green as leaves sprout from the Elderberry and Hawthorne bushes

It was much better in the woods, it was quite busy with bird activity and it was fairly sheltered. I caught sight of a Chiffchaff which was singing and likewise a Goldcrest, which was singing from the cover of the only fir tree in the woods, I am sure that the Goldcrest will breed in that tree.

A Song Thrush sat out nicely in a bunch of brambles and further along the stream a Kingfisher dashed ahead of me, I saw where it landed and although I was looking through a lot of vegetation I managed to get off a few pictures.

This is my first sighting of a perched Kingfisher on my patch this year!!

Not a lot else happened, I scanned the fields around Cowpool Farm hoping for a Wheatear sighting but I saw nothing.