Beards

Never mind David Beckham's beard, check out the facial hair on the handsome chappies below.. These guys showed very well in a reedbed on an extremely still morning today, my first trip out for 2 weeks given work commitments. Autumn has notably progressed with many trees now devoid of leaves and a distinct nip in the early morning air. Migrants were still moving, albeit in much lower numbers than early October. Notable passage of Woodpigeons with sprinklings of Starling, Brambling, Chaffinch and Greenfinch. A group of 5 Woodlark was nice to see on the deck in a weedy field and Goldcrests 'tinkled' their way through the shrubs. All of the 'phylloscs' seem to have moved on and there has been a notable arrival of winter birds on the patch, including Blackbirds and Robins.

Hopefully I can get out a bit more in the next couple of weeks - must be Waxwing time any day now and there is a good chance of Great Grey Shrike and Rough-legged Buzzard on the patch.