December 19th 2008

You have a chance for a good day when you wake up and a Little Owl is sitting on your garden fence – magic. The morning was spent planning the last few birding days of the year working out which locations to check so we have some idea what to go for on 1st January and of course somewhere to have breakfast.

Smew by Bob Hazell - you can't get bored with this beauty
Ou this afternoon with Dave to Draycote Water and met up with Bob Hazel for a chat before we wandered out to farborough spit.Only 2 Great-northern Divers were seen off the fishing platform though Bob had seen four earlier and the Red-necked Grebe and male Smew were further along farborough bank. Off the spit many gulls were gathering for the roost early but nothing of note found and 3 Buzzards flew over. Not much in valley till we reached Grandborough Fields where we found a group of mixed corvids feeding on a dead sheep which included 5 Raven.

Richard