February 15th

This morning at 0540 we heard a Little Owl calling outside our bedroom window. This is the 144 species we have recorded from our garden in the 50 years we've lived here.

Later, on an increasingly cloudy and windy morning, I walked from Chamber's Wall to Coldharbour and on to the Oyster Farm lagoons. I saw 13 Mute Swans, 2 Common Buzzards hovering in the wind, 18 Chaffinches, 13 Blackbirds, 4 Song Thrushes and 1 Merlin flying E over Chamber's Wall car park (123rd). In addition I counted 1 Tufted Duck, 9 Coot, 13 Reed Bunting, 1 Cetti's Warbler, 4 Mallard, 1 Stonechat, 4 Redshank, 4 Oystercatchers, 5 Ringed Plovers, 40 House Sparrows, 1 adult Peregrine, 16 Corn Buntings and 10 Meadow Pipits.