Summer and winter collide

I left the house in good heart with clear skies to the west but still a cold murk to the east which prevented the sun getting through. Down the lane it was clear there had been a fall of Blackbirds overnight with more than twelve birds flushed from fifty meters of road in comparison to last week when I only found five over the whole 2km walk. As I rounded the corner onto the bumpy road four deer including a juvenile crept over the road and disappeared in the gloom as my attention turned to geese calls in the distance where a good v formation of 42 Pinkfeet was located heading north east. Mid way up the road small flocks of Goldfinch, fifty or more in total, fed at the roadside whilst Reed Bunting and Chaffinch ventured out onto the road to glean seeds. The moon was setting as some Crows emerged from their woodland roost.

The sun emerged at 8.50 and camera settings adjusted as I ran into the Tit flock moving east up the road. Numerous Blue and Great Tits with two Coal and one Willow followed by a tribe of 10 Long tailed. Two Fieldfare were flushed from the tall tree near the goats and I walked up the bridleway to find a flock of Redwing feeding in the tree tops as a Grey Partridge called from the fields to the east. Then on to the bridge near the golf course where, whilst watching Sparrows and Robins feeding on food put out by a nice lady from Ponteland a Swallow flew overhead still apparently fly catching.

I tracked it back to Prestwick Mill Farm where I presume it must have very late brood. I headed back for home and as I passed the goats a trilling (or should that be thrilling) sound came from above. I wheeled round to see two Waxwing about to land in the same tree the Fieldfares had earlier vacated. As they dropped down the first decided to fly on and off they went west. That's going to confuse Bird track. Waxwing and Swallow within thirty minutes on the same day but never mind number 106 on the Prestwick Carr list was ticked.

Further down the road a flock of Meadow Pipits and Skylark threw caution to the wind as they mobbed a large female Sparrowhawk after which I duly returned home to enter my records and find there had indeed been a fall of Waxwing overnight. Well then, it's off up country to find some more.