Friday 19th January

 

Out and about by 0740. Sky already light but sun didn’t pop up over the Moors until after 8 (no chocolates were harmed in the making of this pun). Quite a bit of damage to the footpaths apparent as the water levels continue to recede. Lots of sheet ice though so I was tippy-toeing around in places. My garden thermometer said -7C when I set out. Itchen level at the Durngate sluice gates was down a mere 2cm from a week ago although in general across the Reserve levels have dropped by about 10cm. 

The level of bird spotting in recent blogs is excellent with first prize currently going to the Firecrest observation 👏. I’ve not ever seen one on the Reserve -  only Goldcrests. For anyone interested, they are both our smallest bird. Both have a yellow/orange racing stripe on their heads. The Goldcrest has a ‘standard’ face below that while the Firecrest continues the vibe with horizontal stripes across the cheeks. Both have high thin songs but the Goldcrest’s is more rhythmical with a flourish at the end. I saw a flock of Siskins in the trees by the River Park entrance and some Redwings by the pond. A Mistlethrush rattled away as I entered No Man’s Land.