As I crossed the Recreation Ground towards the Thames Path a pair of Mallard flew overhead as did a Pied Wagtail. As I approached the Thames I crossed the bridge by the Millennium Wood sign and saw a movement in the water. Gone and then up again and back down as quick as lightening. A Little Grebe! Despite my best efforts to find it, it vanished.
Thames Path National Trail
Millennium Wood sign just before the bridge
A bit further on it was under the A419 and into another field. Very quite here, but in the distance I could see hundreds of corvids in the sky. Whether they were enjoying the "breeze" I'm not sure but they were swirling around before coming down into the sheep field to my right. Quite a spectacle!
Hundreds of corvids take to the sky
More corvids above the sheep field
And more
Rook
Rook with its dagger like beak
As I passed the "Pipe" bridge a Dunnock called and a little further up by the next gate a Robin popped out onto the path before disappearing into the hedge. There were a few Fieldfare and Redwing about with one or two Mistle Thrushes in tow, but nothing like the numbers I saw back on 18 Nov.
Once I was through the gate I could see that all the Bewick's Swans had moved on, as well as the Mute Swans. A real shame. Instead, as I moved up towards the footbridge which crosses the river, there were hundreds of white feathers covering the bank for at least 30 metres. At first I thought there'd been a mass cull, which did cross my mind. But there were no carcasses, no blood stains just hundreds of feathers of all sizes. With at least 19 swans here a few weeks ago, this stretch of bank and field must have been where they preened themselves.
The fields where the swans once were.
Swan feathers
And more
more
And even more
As there was no point in crossing the bridge to gain a better view of the now departed swans, I turned round and headed back to the car. That wind was something else and as I reached the reed bed on the river, you could see the effects of the wind blowing through it. It was quite spectacular and worth a video shot.
The wind in the reeds
Bulrushes close to the rugby field
Further on a Grey Heron was working a hedgerow and then took off when he saw me. A few more Fieldfare flew over and as I got close to the "Pipe" bridge the Little Grebe popped up onto the surface again before doing his Houdini impersonation.
Grey Heron
Magpie
Magpie
Also about were a pair of Grey Wagtails and some fly by Skylarks and Meadow Pipits. Other species noted were a pair of Black-headed Gulls, Herring Gulls, Lesser Black-backed Gulls, Wood Pigeon, Stock Doves, 13 Collared Dove in one flock, Blackbird, Long-tailed Tit, Blue Tit, Wren, Magpie, Starling, Chaffinch, and Goldfinch. (Martin Adlam)