1st - 7th January - The First Week

I was away from Four Marks on the 1^st and 2^nd of January, but was till able to catch up with Buzzard and Red kite on the 2^nd as we returned home.  The weather was glorious and with the blue sky I was able to get some satisfactory shots of the Buzzard over the Rotherfield estate.  The Red Kite was not so confiding as it drifted off along the fields adjacent to the A32.  The garden during the afternoon had the usual suspects, Blue Tit, Great Tit, Blackbird, Starling and Chaffinch along with a very easily identifiable female Pied Wagtail which was without it’s tail.  However it continued to bob even though the tail wasn’t there.

On Friday the 6^th, I managed to catch the female Blackcap in the honeysuckle, but it was only a brief visit.  On the feeders there were Linnets, Goldfinches and the House Sparrows.  On the ground we had Dunnocks, a Wren and in and out were a couple of Robins.  As usual the Wood Pigeons monopolised the trays in the trees and were joined by the regular pair of Collared Doves.  During the early hours of Saturday morning the pair of Tawny Owls were calling to each other in Lymington Bottom,  I wish I knew where these two were, although I have my suspicions that they are in the heavily ivy clad trees in the copse by the green at the bottom of Reads Field.  At some stage I will take the chance to check it out.