The sun actually came out for a few hours on and off today and since I will be focusing on work, Annie's birthday and the Easter break for the next week, it was the last chance to venture out for a few days.
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| The central low group of bushes is TQ035517 – this is the area where the Ring Ouzel is often seen, as well as in a horse paddock behind it |
Another opportunity to see the male Ring Ouzel half an hour up the road at Clandon Park was too tempting to ignore so, with plenty of sheep for company, I walked up to the same spot at TQ035517 to see if it was still around.
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| Company on the walk |
It took even longer to find than yesterday, but being a bit dim I didn't think to look over the fence behind the small row of trees and bushes into the horse paddock behind, where I found the
Ring Ouzel feeding with a couple of
Blackbirds and a
Redwing. Within a few seconds it flew off into the bushes. I think this Ouzel recognised me from the day before as it was giving me the 'chack, chack, chack' alarm call constantly from there on in.
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| The male Ring Ouzel kept a close eye on me |
For the next 40 minutes or so the Ring Ouzel was quite mobile – it was clearly wary of me. It flew high up into a tree before flying way off on to the top of a pine before a raptor put all the corvids up into the air and it flew north into another copse.
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| The Ring Ouzel on look-out |
There was little point on terrorising the little blighter any further so I left for Surrey's patch of the moment – Tice's Meadow.
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| Tice's Meadow |
I hadn't visited this remarkable patch for about two years. The wetland area has had a amazing few weeks. Nowhere else in Surrey has a better record than this relatively small landlocked area. It has had Bewick's Swan, Gannet, Little Gull, Kittiwake, Black-tailed Godwit, Grey Plover, Little Ringed Plover and Wheatear to name but a few. A remarkable oasis in the middle of the home counties.
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| Two Black-tailed Godwit at Tice's Meadow |
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| A pair of Pintail at Tice's Meadow |
I met up with Rich Horton – Tice's MD – and he kindly pointed out two
Black-tailed Godwit happily feeding. He also found one of two pairs of
Pintail for me. It was a really brief visit, I had other duties to attend to, but I will be back – as someone once said.
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