Thorncombe Street
A fairly flying visit around the site after work. Mill Pond remains eerily quiet (great contrast to this time 12 months ago). The mild weather doesn't help, but perhaps recent shoots have scared away some of the birds? Not a Shoveler or Teal in sight, so attentions turned to around the water, and a Firecrest was doing it's best to distract me from finding any wildfowl, making lots of noise in the trees on the north side. I only saw it briefly, despite relentless calling from the same ivy-clad tree.
The most remarkable record was flock of at least 50 Greenfinch in the trees bordering the pond. I haven't seen numbers like that for many years, but a 'scope scan revealed almost all of the group to be this species, with a few Siskin and Bullfinch present. A drive down Thorncombe Street resulted in a Raven in flight and, pleasingly, 8 Red-legged Partridges, particularly elusive at this time of year as the remaining birds seek hiding places.
Godalming area
The Wey water meadows are exceptionally flooded at the moment, and only a dry afternoon prevented certain river overflowing today. At Unstead Sewage Farm there were 3 Little Egrets in the Flooded Field, and 4 more were reported from the Catteshall Lammas Lands (I had 6 at Unstead yesterday). Over 40 Canada Geese and c.250 Black-headed Gulls were among the other birds.
Further up the river a Woodcock and 2 Snipe were at Shalford Water Meadows at last light, with 5 Egyptian Geese over (MP).
