As i arrived,it was apparent that there were quite a few birds about,with Blackbirds & Fieldfares in the hedgerows,there had obviously been an arrival.
I hurried to get the gear together and decided to walk in a reverse direction,retracing my car journey along the side of Skitter beck and along Skitter Road.
The long stretch of hedgerow along to the small bridge that crosses the beck,was alive with birds and included at least 10 Blackbird,25 Chaffinch,2 Goldcrest,18 Tree Sparrow and 5 Bullfinch.The latter are no doubt migrants,as they are not usually observed in this area and are no doubt arriving with the Hawfinches from the continent.
Further on,the usual herd of 6 Roe Deer were grazing on one of the ploughed fields near Red House farm and another couple were observed later near to the Skitter making for an impressive 8 animals recorded today.
As i approached Winter's Pond,it looked like there were quite a few birds present and a quick scan saw another great species of wildfowl being logged,a lovely Redhead Goosander.As the Common Scoter on my last visit,it kept its distance,but i managed a few record shots for posterity.
Other species here included the usual 3 Great-crested Grebes,3 Dabchick,adult Grey Heron,Kingfisher and another Bullfinch.
Along the seawall back up to the Skitter,a few Redwing and more Blackbirds,saw me finishing on a decent total of 45 of the latter for the visit.
As i neared the car i flushed a Pipit which on first views in flight looked like a Water Pipit,this was nicely confirmed as it landed in the open on the opposite side of the Haven allowing me to get a few distant record shots.This species winters in the area annually,but its always nice to see one on the deck instead of in flight.
Other birds in the Haven included a nice flock of 205 Dunlin,30+ Redshank and 20 Ruff.
A quick walk around the Skitter pools saw another Pipit,this time a Scandi Rock and a pair of Stonechat back near the car rounded off another brilliant visit to the patch.
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| Female Blackbird,One Of The 45 Birds Logged Today. |
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| Five Of The Herd Of Six Roe Deer. |
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| Redhead Goosander,Winter's Pond. |
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| Adult Grey Heron,Winter's Pond. |
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| Juvenile male Kestrel,Winter's Pond. |
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| Juvenile male Kestrel,Winter's Pond. |
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| Juvenile male Kestrel,Winter's Pond. |
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| Pied Wagtail Along The Sea Wall. |
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| Part Of The Dunlin Flock At The Skitter. |
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| Record Shot Of The Water Pipit At The Skitter. |
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| Female Kestrel At The Skitter. |
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| That Concentration!. |
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| Really Nice To Study At Such Close Range. |
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