Listing Badly

I don't really do listing. No idea what my UK list is. But with this year being more uncertain than previous ones, I maybe able to do some decent birding so getting some year lists together could be fun.

I've borrowed some advice from the doyen of patch watching at North Downs and Beyond  and divided the world into three regions; there's the 'core patch' of south Sawbridgeworth and Pishiobury Park. this is mainly wet farmland and parkland. Then there's a wider patch region that covers (specifically) Trimm's Green and the high ground round Shingle Hall Farm, The Stort as far north as Stortford; Pincey Brook at Hatfield Broad Oak, and Hatfield Forest. Then finally there is everywhere else.

I've had a couple of walks round my core patch so far this year, and so far I'm on 42 species. Its poor, but I'm relaxed. Its interesting what you don't see on a normal walk round. No House Sparrows or Reed Buntings, for instance. There are a few winter thrushes, okay numbers of Yellowhammers and Linnets, and healthy numbers of Blackbird, Robin, and Dunnocks amongst others. So far the only notable species are Little Egret on 4th, and Common Gull on the deck. Plenty of the latter fly over on their way to roost, but not many actually touch down.

Overall there's the distinct impression that winter hasn't really started. That's probably down to an El Nino inspired record warm spell.

anyway, here's some sights from around the core patch.

One of those continental types getting ready for Spring.

The Corvids of doom await North Korea's nuclear holocaust.

Feakes Lock: the southern edge of the core patch.

Finally a good-bye to David Bowie, a star of mine and lots of other people's youth. I'll post a few of the more obscure tracks starting with this early one from The Man Who Sold The World,  The Width of a Circle