Stewchat...

Above - Top two, Linnets, third, Tree Sparrows and Bottom, the Sea King that flushed them all.

Today dawned cold but calm after last nights storm. The sun came up bathing the scene in a lovely yellow glow.

I checked the area around the village at Boulmer today.

27 Siskins flew south overhead. The pond is still there. This is just the farmer showing his sadistic streak, it'll all be gone before the spring passage thats a certainty. Meanwhile you never know, I might just be able to add Coot to my list. On here were 8 Mallard, 150 Lapwing and 20+ Redshank with the usual assortment of Gulls.

Up the road at Bowmere, the weedy turnip field held a good flock of seed eaters including 60+ Linnets, 28+ Tree Sparrows, 7+ Goldfinches and a single Redpoll that flushed before I could get specific. This isn't exactly Redpoll habitat, so I would like to see this bird on the deck.

A quick view from the North Seat had a few Yellowhammers and Tree Sparrows, another 35 Linnets plus odds and sods like Reed Bunting, Song Thrush, Greenfinch, Chaffinch, 3 Robins and several Blackbirds.

Nothing noteworthy seaward, other than a single distant Red throated Diver.

I did an atlas square about three miles away at a non descript farmlnd area called the Hocket. 27 species were recorded in the hour, best being 3 Buzzards, Grey Wagtail, 6 Tree Sparrows and a Redpoll.