Life after the Night Heron

So over the weekend, I added nicely to my life list (Goosander and Night Heron) and my year list. When I got back on Sunday the feeders were nearly empty so my first job was the fill them up. And this I did.

Today it dawned - yep - wet and grey again. So armed with a cup of caffeine to kick start the day, I settled down with binocs to do my usual morning bird count. And was I well rewarded??? Indeed I was!!

At about 8.15, following the early arrival of blackbirds, the garden became alive with feathery friends. In the first half-hour whilst it was getting lighter this was my count.

25 Goldfinches
3 Blue Tits
5 Blackbirds (some of the males have black beaks, legs and no yellow eye - so I'm presuming they're foreign visitors?)
5 Greenfinches
2 Starlings
5 Ring-necked Parakeets
1 Blackcap (Male) - yep he's still around
1 Robin
then..... I was starting to count Chaffinches 1, 2, 3 hey - no it is....
1 Chaffinch AND
2 Bramblings (male) YIPPEE!!
and they were in the same place (the apple tree) as last January. Fingers crossed they'll stay around.

And all this within half-an-hour's observations.

After I got home yesterday and sorted myself out after the weekend away, I decided that the sun was too good to miss so I headed off for a quick wander around Bushey Park. Just as I was driving into the car park I got a text from Jackie saying she and Phil were there - so we met by the pond. Jackie had been watching out for parakeets and we were rewarded with a male and female sitting in a tree not far from us. So......

For Jackie - Ring-necked Parakeets
(Male on the left - note the strong black and red neck markings)

The male moved to a closer tree - but hid!

Egyptian Goose - was this what you were looking at Jackie?



Moorhen perched

This young Red Deer found a branch very interesting

whilst this adult -
"What me? Eat the grass? Never!"

The sky was blue


The water calm and reflective.