March 8th 2010

It was a colder night than yesterdays with Draycote Water down to -7.4c as I watched a Barn Owl come off the country park and hunt briefly over the Southam Rd before disappearing. Draycote its self was bliss at first light with not a soul around and both Great-northern Divers were out in the centre while the male Smew was commuting between farborough and draycote bank. As this was only the briefest of visits I only checked up to toft shallows and the only new arrival noted was a Redshank in gray’s barn while the slow dispersal of the gull roost produced last weeks partial summer plumage Med Gull amongst the thousands of Black-headed and Common Gulls. Only other birds of note were 100 Fieldfare in fields below toft hill and 2 Green Woodpecker.

Richard