I just finished the first two late winter tetrads.
NZ29K on Fri 11/01/2008
Around Linton Ponds we had 4 Mute Swan, 1 Canada Geese, 5 Wigeon, 6 Gadwall, 60 Teal, 3 Mallard, 10 Shoveler, 16 Pochard, 13 Tufted Duck and 1 Goldeneye. There were 16 Black-headed Gull, 400 Herring Gull and 30 Great Black-backed Gull. There were also 23 coot but only 5 moorhen.
My wife saw a kingfisher flying away from us across the pond but I missed that as I was counting teal at the time! I think I need to engage my feminine side so I can multitask, and observe kingfishers at the same time as counting Teal. 8-P
Apart from the usual thrushes, tits and corvids, there was also a nice flock of 10 siskins in a conifer plantation and a reed bunting as we came back through the alder carr. We also had 10 Pink-footed Geese fly over us at one stage. This went in as a Roving Record rather than an extra so I could record the count.
NZ29Q on Sun 13/01/2008
In the villages of Ellington and Linton, we found 80+ jackdaws plus other corvids. The highlights of the walk across the fields were a Kestrel hovering and later swooping low over the path, a Heron rising from the River Lyne, a pair of Goldfinches , 3 Bullfinches and a small flock of 10 redwing. The woods produced Treecreeper, Great Spotted Woodpecker and Goldcrest.
Mike:t: