And Now Another Post

 Just like buses.

Yesterday I tried to have a walk around Fairlands Lakes. Having located 15 Siskin and the Kingfisher I thought I was on a roll then torrential rain arrived and I was forced to give up.

Today couldn't have been more different. Bright sunshine blue skies and mild. I decided on a walk around Aston End despite knowing it would be very muddy and treacherous in places. I started off at Chells Manor and walked down the river to the ford then returned via Aston End and home. 

Much of it was uneventful-lots of Robins, a few tit flocks in places and singing Skylarks, plus a few Buzzards and Red Kites. Thrushes were around of course with small numbers of Redwing Blackbird and Fieldfare, but not the numbers I have encountered recently. 

Because of the muddy conditions it was slow going so I decided to miss the High Wood detour and carry on down to the ford. A large flock of birds east of Lords Farm proved problematic. There were a couple of Skylarks, but a dozen smaller birds were with them. I thought at first they might be Linnets and Yellowhammers but they were far off and hidden from view in the furrows of winter wheat. Eventually I decided they were Meadow Pipits, several of which had been heard earlier moving south along with some Pied Wagtails. I was just about to carry on when I heard a loud tew. Hoping it might be a Bullfinch I searched the blackthorn and was very surprised when a warbler popped up with a prominent eyestripe. Confused, wondering why a Sedge Warbler would still be here, when it emerged the plain, pale grey buff, fine black bill was odd, but when I saw the greenish edges to the wing feathers I connected it with the call and realised it was a Siberian Chiffchaff. This was pretty much proven when I played the calls of various Chiffchaffs-it only responded to Siberian. Unfortunately like the few I had seen in the past it was hyperactive and in the three or so minutes it was in view I couldn't get it in the camera viewfinder.

The rest of the walk was something of an anticlimax, but I did eventually find a female Bullfinch, which has been a bit elusive this year despite my many surveys of the area.

And i was also lucky to get a clear spell this evening so the refractor came out and I got another view of Jupiter and Saturn.