A morning walk from Shipley Bridge towards the Avon dam as far as the old pump house, the moors are still in the grip of winter despite several lots of frog spawn and not overly abundant with bird life, that said two Buzzards soaring, numerous displaying and rolling Ravens, Jay, Crow, Magpie, numerous Robins, Long Tailed Tits, a single Goldcrest, two Kestrel and Dipper sightings which I suspect may well have been the same birds.
At Yalland farm a flock of around 20 plus Redwings and once back in South Brent a low flying flock of over 100 birds headed easterly possibly heeding the call of nature and beginning to migrate.
Around the garden feeders a male Reed Bunting and at least five Siskin in and out for most of the day, Raven, Buzzard and three Stock Dove overhead.
Just after 6.15pm Dave Pakes rang me to say he was watching a Barn owl near Marley Head just as I arrived the bird lifted from a roadside gate post and flew off across fields it did not strike me as being in very good health, no doubt struggling to feed in this up and down weather.
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