Cold, cloudy, W 4 - We spent the morning at Scotney sand pit which is now flooded, and then along the footpath back east towards the farm. The main target species was Tree Sparrow where a flock of at least 85 birds was soon located close to where the footpath from the road bisects Jury`s Gut Sewer. I spent about an hour watching their antics as the flock regularly retired to the safety of bramble and elder scrub, `chipping` away constantly, in between foraging on the ground amongst a sward of weed-seeds that included tangles of fat-hen, dead grasses and thistles. It was great to watch them at such close range and I made a mental note to crack on and construct some more nest boxes for the forthcoming breeding season. The working sand quarry, which delivered a host of waders last summer, has now morphed into a lake attracting a decent range of ducks: 85 Mallard, 31 Shoveler, 15 Tufted Duck, 4 Gadwall, 2 Wigeon, 18 Teal and 2 Pochard.
The fields outback towards Scotney farm contained several thousand Golden Plovers and Lapwings, a handful of Curlews, Redshanks, Skylarks and Meadow Pipits, plus four Brents, 100 Greylags, 50 Stock Doves and two Ruffs. A lakeside margin provided two more Redshanks, a Green Sandpiper, a Little Egret and a Grey Wagtail, while two each of Common Buzzard, Marsh Harrier and Kestrel were also seen. However, Corn Buntings were notable by their absence.
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