January 1
Short walk down the lane, binoculars in one hand and dog lead in the other so not always easy. Killing two birds with one stone though.
Birds seen: wood pigeon, blackbird, blue tit, great tit, robin, magpie, carrion crow, coal tit.
Also seen in the garden, which is still in the valley: house sparrow, long-tailed tit, chaffinch, great spotted woodpecker, greenfinch, raven.
Species seen in 2023 click here
Cotwall End Valley pages click here
January 2
Six vocal Canada geese in flight first thing, heading towards Baggeridge.
January 5
Walked north through the woodland alongside Bobs Brook and then back down the lane.
There’s more of the scenery encountered in the video below.
A very pleasant spring-like day, lots of birds singing and in flight.
Highlight was the little egret.
Birds seen: carrion crow, herring gull, wood pigeon, blue tit, magpie, blackbird, black-headed gull, wren, goldcrest, dunnock, great tit, nuthatch, stock dove, jay (3 birds seen at one time), redwing (c25 near Brockswood), bullfinch (female seen, heard male singing), feral pigeon, jackdaw, mallard (1 male, 2 females in flight), goldfinch, robin, little egret (bird feeding on waterlogged field alongside lane), sparrowhawk.
Others: grey squirrel.