27-1-12, Whitemoor Haye.

After a three day 1st aid course I had a good 90 mins of light spare at the end of the day so I got my dog and headed out to the good old local patch. I started off at the quarry pool area and the skies were like a scene from Independance Day. A big black cloud slowly started moving over Whitemoor Haye apart from a thin sliver in the middle and in each side it was hammering down but the middle was not too bad. I stayed at the pool and in that area I noted Pheasant, Black Headed Gull, Magpie, Sparrowhawk, Starling, Blackbird, about 1000 Lapwing were flying around being very insettled (another circa 250 were in another field further on around the lanes), 9 Wigeon, Carrion Crow, Woodpigeon (I saw circa 600 birds flying into roost whilst counting the last group of Mute Swans), a single Buzzard, Canada Geese, Wren, Blue Tit, Lesser Black-backed Gull, Robin, 4 Mallard, 2 Fieldfare flying over the pool but I also added another 120ish further around the lanes, and a single Goldfinch over. Onto the lanes and the skies were really black and as I was looking for the Little Owls it started raining although not too bad but either side it was really heavy for about ten minutes. A tad lucky me thinks. Birds noted around here were two groups of Golden Plover of circa 30 and circa 100, 365 Mute Swan, Chaffinch, circa 30 Tree Sparrow, Reed Bunting, Cormorant, Yellowhammer, Dunnock, 2 Grey Partridge, 13 Pied Wagtails flew over head, 5 Redwings in with the second group of Fieldfares, 2 Grey Herons, 2 Moorhens and a single Little Owl at dusk.