Bright,but cold,light northerly.
Apart from an increase in Tufted Duck numbers (150 on Brooklands),wildfowl numbers remain low.On Abbey Meads,just 9 Pochard,6 Gadwall and circa 30 Coot.
Along the river I saw - 1 Green Sandpiper 1 Redshank 1 Snipe 30 Lapwing 45 Mallard and circa 55 Teal.Perhaps over the next few days,with the predicted colder weather moving down from the north.This will bring about a change
Redwing numbers also remain low and I have still only seen one Fieldfare..
I saw my first Redwings at New Hythe on October 18th,A Kestral in the garden on the 21st,was very unusual.It had probably seen a mouse feeding on seed put out for the birds.One hundred and twenty Red legged Partridge,two Raven and fifty linnet in fields at the foot of the Downs above Birling on the 22nd.
Photos Snipe Teal Kestral (east scrub pylon) Wigeon (Railway lake,mid October Sparrowhawk Teal and Peregrine (east scrub pylon November 1st) Little Egret and Stonechat (Halling marsh).
