30th November - Cloudy, light showers, steady sometime gusting SW, 11C

This morning Mistle thrushes are still coming to the Yew and Holly berries around the village, maybe up to four.  A couple of Bullfinch flew over low, calling, towards the disused railway.

29th November - Strong becoming very gusty SW, cloudy showers/rain, 11C

The weather was most unkind today making the afternoon visit to the local reservoir pretty challenging.  A around the village most birds were more interested in sheltering, rather than being out too much.

On arriving at the reservoir two fisherman told me I had just missed a Bittern walking nearby, then flying off to the nearby bay.  Needless to say I did not relocate it.  At the reservoir about 45 Mallard were sheltering on the lee of the dam, most other duck were sheltering in the bay as much as possible (Gadwall 40+ and Wigeon), except the Goldeneye (9) and Coot, with a few Pochard and Tufted Duck on the open water.  You can see in the following photos how rough the open water was, with a good swell.

There were about 40 Fieldfare and 15 Redwings feeding on the hedge berries, Long-tailed Tits were working and calling in the thickets.

28th November - slight night frost, bright start, becoming cloudy rain mid-pm, freshening SW, cool, 6C

I ventured to Shawell lagoons this afternoon, hopeful for a scarce gull.  During the morning there had been three Caspian Gulls seen by Carl at the nearby landfill site, but not at the lagoons this afternoon.  The lagoons were fairly devoid of gulls and other birds for that matter. Several colour ringed gulls were found by Carl, one which had been seen here before and had been ringed in Aberdeen, Scotland.

One, or possibly two, Green Woodpeckers were very busy feeding and flying around the site.  17 Wigeon and 9 Tufted Duck with 4 Mute Swans were present on the south lagoon.  In the hedge Long-tailed and Blue Tits foraged, accompanied by a Goldcrest and a fleeting glimpse of a possible Chiffchaff.  A Kestrel was hunting the rough ground to the north.

27th November - A mixed day of mostly cloud, short sunny spell, mod SW, mild 12C

A busy day, but I did see a Kestrel hunting over the field at the Woodway Lane junction and a Green Woodpecker called from the wood to the east of the village.

26th November - dull, misty and damp morning, cloudy but brighter afternoon, light SwW breeze, 10C

A surprising number of small insects seen flying about today, good food for the smaller birds.

Walked round the local lake this afternoon, fairly quite, both a Green and Great-spotted Woodpecker were present. Two Bullfinch were feeding in the thickets, while five Goldfinch feed on the alders. Only 12 Fieldfare were spotted in a tree top and no Redwings at all.  Occasionally two Water Rail  called from deep within the reeds.  

25th November - Cloudy dullish morning, brighter afternoon, light SW, 10C

There were six Pheasants at the feed station this morning when I went to fill it up, this is the record so far.

This afternoon I visited Draycote reservoir hoping to see the Great Northern Divers which have been there a few days, up to three have been seen.  After some searching I did find one of them, a juvenile, fairly close to shore, allowing some record photos.

The water level is very low for this time of year providing a shore line all the way around the reservoir so this can provide suitable habitat for some birds, such as these Teal and Mallard.

There were also plenty of Goldeneye and several Goosander on the water.  Two Little Egret were searching for food along one of the rocky dam walls.  A Sparrowhawk was ambushing Pied Wagtails as they feed along the shore.

24th November - Mostly cloudy, no frost, 8C, light wind

About 50 Fieldfares moved over the village at mid-day, SW.   All the usual contenders at the feed station again this morning.

23rd November - another night frost -4C, today high cloud, light breeze N, 4C

First thing a Mistle Thrush gave a short burst of song from the tree behind the church and a Siskin flew over, west, low and calling.

22nd November - Night frost -4, Cloudy most of the day, a couple of short brighter spells, light N, 5C

Pretty chilly this morning, so quite a shock after our recent mild weather.  Plenty of birds were visiting the feed station, including 3 Pheasant, Jackdaws, Magpie, Collared Dove, smaller birds included 15 House and 4 Tree Sparrows, Chaffinch, Greenfinch, Great, Blue and Coal Tit.  A Nuthatch was also present, this occasionally made forays elsewhere, including one around the top of the church tower.  Four Siskin were flying around too.

Quite a few thrushes were visiting the Yew trees to stock up on the berries, 2 Mistle Thrushes, a few Fieldfare, several Song thrush and 20+ Redwing.  The light was not good, but the photo shows the main plumage details as these two sat in the hedge.

An afternoon visit to the local reservoir produced 11 Goldeneye, 3 Shoveler, about 40 Gadwall as well as mallard, Tufted Duck, 8 Teal and about 80 Pochard, later 4 Goosander came in to roost. The 3 males and single female can be seen swimming past the Mute Swans in this photo.

One main event this time of year is to wait for the gulls to come in to roost and hope that there is one of the scarcer visitors with them, like a Mediterranean or Caspian Gull, these have been seen here in recent days, but not found today.  There were several hundred Common Gull in the roost this evening.  The following photo shows the gulls beginning to gather to roost.

21 November - Steady N wind 3C, mostly cloudy, cold

The forecasters got it right, there was a sprinkling of snow of the ground this morning, but not a covering and it gradually disappeared during the day as it warmed up to 3C.

A Kestrel was hunting over an area of rough headland on a field just west of the village mid morning.

An afternoon visit to Shawell Lagoons was disappointing for gulls, very few were in, although there was about 60 Great-black backed Gulls present, very few Lesser-black backed and only one Common Gull.  On the lower lagoon thee was a bout 100 Wigeon and small number each of Shoveler and Tufted Duck.  At least three Cormorant and two Mute Swans were present.  After a while seven waders circled around a couple of time before flying off, they were Dunlin.

After some while of standing around waiting for gulls it was feeling pretty cold, so I moved on for a walk around a local lake.  A cock Pheasant greeted me, walking towards me from some distance, from an area planted with Teasels.

There were 35 Goldfinch feeding on the Teasel heads, the following photo captured a few of the Goldfinch.

A Sparrowhawk flew along the hedge hunting, but there was not many small birds around at the time. Only a single Redwing was seen and about 15 Fieldfares.  A party of Long-tailed tits worked the hedgerow, then moved to the Teasels too.  

20th November - sunny intervals, light SW 12C

No observations as stuck in meetings.

A spell of cold weather is expected over the next couple of days, even snow possible - we'll have wait and see what comes.

19th November - cloudy, light SW, 12C

Came down to London last night for meetings today and tomorrow.  Fortunately, close to Hyde Park so I was able to make a pre-breakfast walk around the Serpentine area.

Ring-necked Parakeets were soon calling from the trees as they arrived from their overnight roosts.  Native birds were also waking up with at least 7 Magpies searching for food, Blackbirds and Robins were out, 14 Long-tailed tits were by the bridge, with a few Blue and Great Tits.

On the Serpentine there were at least 40 Mute Swans,  and more each of Canada and Grey-lag Geese. Seven Eygtian Geese were feeding on the grass next to the lake.  Ducks included Pochard, Tufted, Mallard and 3 Shoveler.   Coot were numerous and several Moorhen were present.  A single Grey Heron sat preening itself.

Walking past Princess Diana's memorable fountain a Mistle Thrush was heard and a Cetti's Warbler kept giving short bursts of song.  Given the narrow area of cover next to the lake it's amazing to think that this warbler has set up home here, I heard one here in June too.  Finally a Jay was hopping through the tree branches.  In all 29 bird species were seen, plus Grey Squirrels, not bad for central London in early winter.

18th November - cloudy SW light but picking up. Afternoon showers some heavy, gusty wind. 12C

Last night gusts up to 60 mph were recorded with some light damage done, shed blown over, roof covering blown off, 3 trees down.  Otherwise all intact and the wildlife seems to be carrying on the same, more winter Thrushes over SW in the morning, unfortunately it was a day of jobs with little time to observe.

17th November - Cloudy, dull and drizzle to begin, SW breeze picking up, becoming windy with strong gusts after dark (9~40mph) showers, 14C

Managed to get to the local lake during the early morning.  There was quite a SW movement of Redwing and some Fieldfare mixed in with them.  Around the lake at least three Little Grebe were 'trilling'.  Three Water Rail were calling from the reeds, the Mute Swan family is still present but there were no other duck species than Mallard present today.

14 Long-tailed Tits foraged in the hedge, with several Blue Tits and two Goldcrest were with them. In all 23 bird species were found.  Some further fungi were spotted, this warm damp weather is ideal for them.

Finally, can you see the bird in the following photo, and what is it?  Clue, it is mentioned above.

16th November - sunny intervals, SW wind calming during the day, 11C

First thing a mixed flock of Fieldfare and Redwing, -50, moved south over the village.  A single Red-legged Partridge was to the east of the village.  A couple of Mistle Thrush were around and another in a tree top towards Norwood Farm another was singing for a short while, against a black cloud and wind gusts living up to its colloquial name of the 'Storm Cock'.

15th November - A cloudy day with a moderate, sometimes gusty SW, but very mild 16C

I decided to do a 'twitch' today and headed off to Chesterfield to see the Crag Martin that has been there almost a week now.  I arrived at Chesterfield and headed directly to St. Mary and All Saints church, better known as the church with the crooked spire, because this is where the Crag Martin has been seen nearly everyday and was reported there before I left home.
As I walked up the street I soon spotted some 20 others peering up through binoculars and cameras and very quickly spotted the Martin myself.  It was dashing around quite high, on  the leeward side of the church tower and spire feeding on insects, occasionally doing wider circuits over the shops and houses.  It moved extremely fast and turned circles on a sixpence, quite difficult to follow at times.  Although dull and cloudy reasonable views were eventually had to enable to see the key identification features.  It them headed off north, probably to the football stadium where it has been seen and reported to be roosting there at night.  It returned again after 15 minutes and repeated its performance, then off again, this seemed to be the pattern for the day.
This is about the 12th Crag Martin to be reported in the UK, so a very unusual visitor form southern Spain and the northern Mediterranean area.  Unfortunately is was not possible to get a photo, although others have been successful and can be found on the web, flicker etc.  So, you will have to admire the 'crooked' spire which the Martin was flying around.

14th November- cloudy and chilly first thing, rain from mid-morning until late afternoon, but warmer, 12C, brisk SW

Decided to chance going to Draycote reservoir in the afternoon rain to catch up with the Great Northern Diver which have been there a couple of day - I did not find it.  Apart from nearly loosing my hat in to the reservoir birding was wet and windy.  The water level was very low, down to the base of the dam, which may be why few waterfowl were about.

Several Goldeneye were present, only one Goosander and Gadwall were spotted.  Plenty of Great Crested And Little Grebes were near the dam, along which were Pied Wagtails, one Grey Wagtail, two Meadow Pipit and four Grey Herons.

13th November - Cloud and rain to start with blustery West wind, brightening to sunny periods later, cooler feel, 9C

Busy today helping with the follow-up cattle TB test, thankfully all past.

This morning small numbers of Redwing, Fieldfare and Starlings were flying around the fields to the east of the village.

After lunch I filled up my feed station, then waited at a distance to see what happened along.  Very soon at least 6 Great, two Blue and two Coal Tits were feeding, followed by several House Sparrows, three Greenfinch and two Chaffinch.  Two hen Pheasant turned up and a male Great-spotted Woodpecker flew in.   Two Magpies were generally messing about before several Jackdaws flew in and took over the ground spillage.

Two Mistle Thrush were in the area, several Redwing were feeding on the Yew berries and at least six Blackbirds were present. Overhead a Carrion Crow persistently hassled a Buzzard, seeing it off, a second Buzzard came along a little later and was left alone by the local crows.

12th November - Sunny morning, clouding over for the afternoon, wind S/SW then W moderate with gusts, 14C

Popped back to local lake to see if the 'Yellow Cow Pat Toadstool' was still fruiting, and several were, so this time I managed a photo

Visited Brandon marsh during the afternoon to see what was about.  On arrival ~30 Fieldfare flew over the entrance and a handful of Redwing were in the bushes.  Arriving at Teal Pool a Heron was stalking the edge of the reeds and 25 Teal were feeding in the shallow water.

More duck were on the east marsh pool, many Shoveler, one Pochard, several Gadwall, more Teal and Mallard.  Best of all, a drake Pintail was present, I managed some record photos.  The Pintail breeds in northern Europe in to Russia, unfortunately its numbers have dropped significantly in recent years.

There were quite a few other birds to be seen, including a Kingfisher that zipped past over the pool and two Water Rail were 'squealing' in the reeds only a few yards away.

At this time of year Brandon is host to a Starling roost, so I decided to stay and wait for them to arrive, performing their pre-roost flight gathering, we call a murmuration.  Eventually they began to arrive and some 3000-4000 gave great 'murmurations' before settling in to the reed bed to roost.

11th November - Cloudy, moderate SW/W, sometimes gusty, mild 15C

As I was passing nearby Frolesworth, I popped in to the lake there, which can turn-up some interesting sightings.  A single Great Crested Grebe was on the lake with some tufted Duck and Coots, also about 20 Black-headed Gulls.  One of these gulls was completely white with jet black wing primaries, a small black circular head spot, bright red legs and bill, very noticeable and unlike a typical B-H Gull.  There were only a few finches about, four Reed Buntings and several Skylarks on the adjacent stubble field.

I noticed one Ladybird out today, so not all hibernating yet.  Definitely more Redwing feeding on the church Yew tree berries today.  A Great Spotted Woodpecker and Nuthatch were at the feed station.

During the afternoon I had a walk at the local reservoir, duck numbers were generally down today, only ~15 Wigeon and 16 Gadwall, 50 Pochard and 70 Tufted Duck present, the Teal and Shoveler were absent, nine Goldeneye were still there and three drake Red-crested Pochard.  Mute Swans numbered ~30 and 100 Grey Lag Geese were as noisy as ever.

Around the reservoir and neighbouring fields there were at least 200 Fieldfare and 40 Redwing feeding on the berries and stubble, also, many Rook, Jackdaw and Carrion Crow.  A Buzzard and Kestrel were flying around, generally being harassed by the crows.

While walking along the path I noticed a Hare feeding, so I decided to stalk and get a photo, as I slowly got closer a second hare popped through the hedge some 20 feet in front of me, I manage photos of the first and second Hare.

A little further along the path were some further interesting Fungi, yet to formally identify.

10th November - A much calmer and dry day, though cloudy, 15C

Helping to TB test cattle and other jobs today, so little to report.

9th November - cloudy very dull, spits of rain pm, blusterly, strong gusts later, SW wind, 14C

So far not too much about due to the weather.  The flock of about 15 Goldfinch was flying around mid morning.

Decided to have a look around the Church cemetery for fungi, found quite a few, some examples follow. The first was under the large Yew tree. many fallen berries were around it, which is probably a result of the really mild weather and low number of winter Thrushes here to eat them.  The remainder of fungi were all in grassy areas.

8th November - Another grey cloudy, day with occasional rain, mod gust SW/S wind, 15C

A look around the local lake produced a couple of (Lesser) Redpoll and a single Siskin and nine  Goldfinch were feeding.  A Song Thrush was having a go a singing and a Wren gave two bursts of song.  Six, or more, Bullfinch were feeding in the bushes and a Long-tailed Tit flock moved through.
A flock of 50+ Fieldfare and some Redwings were feeding on berries on the neibouring hedge, others were flying around.  A single Buzzard flew over calling.
An interesting small 'lemon yellow' capped, white stalked toadstool was spotted, hopefully it will be around for a photo and to confirm its identity.  It looks like it is the, wonderfully named, 'Yellow Cow Pat Toadstool.

During mid-afternoon a flock of 50+ Fieldfare flew east over the village.  Eight Collared Dove, a Great-spotted Woodpecker and Grey Wagtail were also present.

7th November - a wet and windy morning, afternoon brighter, mild 16C

Not much time today, but I did hear both Green and Great-spotted Woodpeckers call late afternoon in the village area.

6th November - cloudy, light rain on/off, drier afternoon, light SW mild 16C

Nothing too much showing today. A mixed flock of Rewing and Fieldfare were feeding on an old pasture this morning instead of feasting on the berries.  The number of Pheasant at the feed station has increased to three, looks like the word is getting around.
As I was passing the local lake I dropped in for a quick look.  Two firsts for the lake, two Shoveler and a female Red-crested Pochard were with the Mallards, also one drake Gadwall.  Two Little Grebes and the Mute Swan family still.  About 50 each of Starling and Fieldfare and a few Redwings were feeding on the hedge and field. A Kestrel,was hovering in a distant field.

5th November - Yet another cloudy and wet day, fairly dull, SW wind picking up, but mild 13C

Early morning saw about 20 Fieldfare flying over the village, not really sure which way to head off, eventually heading west.

An afternoon visit in the light rain to the local reservoir to see if any further winter visitors had come in. Goldeneye numbers have increased to nine since Sunday, six in the photo below.

Other duck included  four Red-crested Pochard, 21 Shoveler, 5 Teal, c100 Wigeon, Gadwall, Mallard, and Tufted Duck.  Five Snipe flew over looking for a place to land.

A Kestrel was present. Some 40 Redwings and c15 Fieldfare were feeding on the berries. 12 Stock Dove fed on the neighbouring arable field.  While 12 Goldfinch were feeding on various weed seeds at the waters edge.

A Hare was hiding at the edge of a cover crop.

4th November - very misty, light rain start, clearing to mid-day, then sunny intervals, mild 12C

The morning weather meant very little was happening, hopefully more later in the day.

Well, the afternoon turned out reasonably pleasant, although I only had time for a short look at the feed station area.  The Nuthatch, Coal Tit and both male and female Great-spotted Woodpeckers were busy feeding.  At least 10 Great Tits, c25 House Sparrow, two Blue Tits and two Chaffinches joined in, no wonder the female Sparrowhawk decided to fly by and disrupt proceeding for a short while.  A new visitor to the feed station was a hen Pheasant.

A few more Fieldfare are present now with small numbers of Redwings feeding and a single Mistle Thrush flying about.  A Pied and Grey Wagtails flew over to their preferred farm feeding areas.  Six Long-tailed Tits were working the thick hedge, constantly calling as they went on their way.

3rd November - Another dull cloudy and quite misty day, 9C

Not too much happening with the weather in the doldrums.

Twelve Redwing were feeding in the Church lane hedge first thing before flying off SW.

2nd November - foggy at start shifting very little, very light breeze, 10C

Nothing too visible today, so getting on with some jobs.  A few Redwings and Fieldfare were feeding on the Haws along one hedge.

1st November - Foggy start, clearing to give a spectacular sunny warm day, 18C, little breeze SE

An amazing sunny and warm day, the November temperature record broken at 22.4C in Wales, 10 deg above average!

The local lake, after the fog, held a high count of nine Pochard. Little Grebe were 'trilling' and at least two Water Rail were calling from the reeds. A Green Woodpecker was feeding on the track and a few Redwing in the Hawthorns.  A Kestrel flew over.  Also, on the track was another fungus species.

A Small Tortoiseshell butterfly was flying around the Church at mid-day often landing on the wall to spread its wings in the sunshine.

The afternoon was spent at the local reservoir which provided many interesting sighting.  A Great White Egret was present, these have not been seen very often here, preening and feeding.  These are fairly recent colonists to the UK from mainland Europe and now a few pairs breed each year.

I was then very lucky to find an Otter fishing, I was able to watch this for about 20 minutes.  I did not have a good position for a photo but managed a (poor) record shot.  These are very occasionally reported, usually disappearing very quickly, as they explore the river that feeds the reservoir.

There were plenty of ducks present today, three Goldeneye (at last), 18 Shoveler, ~30 Teal popped in briefly, four Red-crested Pochard, plus Pochard, Tufted Duck and Mallard.

One Chiffchaff was present roaming with the many Long-tailed Tits.  A Kingfisher dashed over the water.
About 30 Tree Sparrows were at the feed station, also a Coal Tit.  Nearby two Goldfinch fed on a dead Thistle.

Another interesting fungus was found on the track, yet to be identified.

A Red Admiral butterfly, Migrant Hawker and Common Darter dragonflies were about too.
A really super day