Usual Suspects on patch

Thought it was only right I walked the home patch at Arrow Valley Lake and Park this morning. However the new year had brought many new joggers and dog walkers on site so I spent most of the time on the outer paths.

I passed Mark, another patch birder, who had seen the two Little Grebe on his walk and I duly found them when looking across the lake at the reed bed by the Visitor Centre. The local Redwings were busy again buzzy around the high hedgerows and trees.

Sailing on lake had seemed to move of wildfowl into hiding for a few hours so the lake was limited to 3 Cormorant (more reported earlier), 1 Grey Heron, 2 Tufted Ducks, 5 Shovellor, 2 Little Grebe, 7 Great Crested Grebe, 56 Canadian Geese and 120 Greylag were to the north corner avoiding the traffic on the lake. 

On the surrounding paths highlights included Goldcrest, a large flock of Long Tailed Tits, Nuthatch, Greater Spotted Woodpecker, Mistle Thursh, Jay and a Treecreeper found just as I was leaving. A total of 32 species, not bad considering how much the lake was.