Newhall Valley Country Park.

It was nice to actually get out and about for a change after having the flu and then the after affects of the illness and then the rain and other commitments. So I thought I'd go to Newhall Valley Country Park and see what birds were around and I had a treat when I was taking pictures of the hotel from the moat wall when this Robin appeared out of nowhere and sat on a branch a few inches from my head and started singing so I readily gave him some bird seed and he readily let me take a few photographs of him, which was worth the trip out alone let alone the variety of birds seen as well.

Birds seen today were Kestrel, Blue Tit, Great Tit, Long Tailed Tit, Coal Tit, Chaffinch, Goldfinch, Greenfinch, Bullfinch, Siskin, Lesser Redpoll, Nuthatch, Robin, Dunnock, Starling, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Jay, Song Thrush, Blackbird, Jackdaw, Carrion, Crow, Magpie, Woodpigeon, Feral Pigeon, Grey Wagtail, Grey Heron, Moorhen, Mallard and Canada Goose. I also heard Pheasant on a few occasions but didn't actually see any.

I surprisingly saw Greenfinch on no less than four occasions, which is very rare these days. The Lesser Redpoll were only spotted because they were in amongst a flock of Siskin I was observing. 

The above photograph is one of three Long Tailed Tits visiting the garden on a daily basis to feed on the coconut halves, I was topping up the feeders etc. when a couple of said Tits visited the tree oblivious to my presence and when I was kindly brought the camera, this little chap stuck around to have his picture taken. Other daily visitors to the garden at the moment are a pair of Goldcrest, who love to have a peck at the suet blocks and the fat smeared on the tree branches, a lone male Pied Wagtail who loves the mealworms left for him or he will just have a forage around the lawn, he did actually turn up with a female once last week but I haven't seen her again. Needless to say the fifty or so House Sparrow are always out there feeding on the forever topped up bird feeders, a pair of Great Tit who love the sunflower hearts, four Blue Tit, of which at least one lives in the ventilation brick in my bedroom. I have also noticed an upsurge in Dunnocks  and there pre breeding activity and of course the ever present Robins.