Without further ado...
28th & 29th January
Mute Swan - 6
Greylag Goose - 20
Canada Goose - 12
Wigeon - 200+
Teal - 80+
Mallard - 30+
Shoeveler - 4 at Wansford, unusual in winter
Red-legged Partridge - 2
Grey Partridge - 12
Little Grebe - 1
Cormorant - 4
Little Egret - 7 or 8, hard to say, they're very mobile
Great White Egret - 1 at Lowthorpe
Grey Heron - 28 incl. 23 together nr heronry
Sparrowhawk - 1
Buzzard - 20+ incl. 10 in the air together!
Kestrel - 8
Water Rail - 1 still at Kelk Lake
Lapwing - 112 in two flocks, 90+22
Snipe - 13
Woodcock - 5
Green Sandpiper - 2
Great Black-backed Gull - 1
Collared Dove - 24 at Harpham
Barn Owl - 1
Great Spotted Woodpecker - 3 incl. one 'drumming'
Meadow Pipit - 1
Grey Wagtail - 5 is an exceptional number in winter
Fieldfare - 6
Redwing - 20
Mistle Thrush - 4
Coal Tit - 1
Jay - 1
Siskin - 45, most welcome after a total absence in 2016!
Linnet - 70+
Bullfinch - 1
Yellowhammer - 90+ is the highest count this century
Reed Bunting - 15+, together, is a very good count
Comparison shot of Great Black-backed Gull and Cormorant at Wansford. GBBs have become surprisingly irregular over recent years, in contrast to Herring Gulls.
Grey Heron at dusk at Lowthorpe. At this time of year the adults are entering peak breeding condition which is reflected in pristine plumage and brighter beak.
Overhead formation flypast of Little Egrets. The novelty of these birds still hasn't worn off.
Shoveler near Wansford. Rather scarce at any time of the year, especially winter.
Criminally overlooked, Sparrows are wonderful little birds that are almost uniquely adapted to live around humans. They still thrive in Kelk but the numbers aren't what they once were.
So there you have it. The year list is reset and the first monthly total stands at 69. Not quite the best (71 in 2009) but a long way from being the worst (51 in 2014).
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