Geez...

Well, I finally manage to get to the patch for a couple of hours tonight after last weekend's heavy metal mayhem and some subsequent long overdue domestic loft activity. Guess I had owls in mind as I set off on account of 3 Little Owls, 2 Barn Owls and a Long-eared Owl being reported during my absence. A quick glance left as I shot past Big Hand Ranch about 6.45 didn't throw up any dumpy blobs and it was a bit early for Barnies so I head for...

Pumphouse Pool 18:52

In the hide and straight away... wader. The water levels are dropping again (go figure with all this rain...) and so there's a small pool cut off from the rest of the pool near the now high and dry Kingfisher perch. The wader is pottering around in tight circles. The momentary flash of Red-necked Phalarope through my brain is quickly gone as I raise my bins - Green Sandpiper. Nice enough though. There seem to be a lot more ducks about tonight - all spread out across the water so it's time to sift through them. There's mostly a mix of Gadwall (33) and Mallard (20) with 11 Tufty at the far end, with a generous sprinkling of Coot (30) and juvenile Moorhens (5) scattered about. Smaller stuff too... a pair of Little Grebe with a well grown youngster and a few Teal. I decide to do a systematic scan and count everything. Green Woodpecker yaffling. Cool. It's still about. Count all the above and add 41 Canada Geese. Teal numbers are well up on my last visit. All told I count 20. There are 2 Shoveler back too, roosting on the spit - the first of the returning winter birds and something else among the Teal... head under the water feeding. Small. Head up and the stripey head markings and pale dot at the base of the thick grey bill identifies it as a female GARGANEY. Well bugger me! I did NOT expect that!! Bloody marvellous and patch year tick 127. 2 Lapwing, 2 Grey Heron, 2 Magpie and 3 Crows completes the tally and I text a couple of patchers the news. Three good patch 'G's then at Pumphouse: Green Sandpiper, Green Woodpecker and Garganey.

Eastern Reedbed & Millbrook Pool 19:39

Inspired by the PHP goodies I forgo shooting straight to Upper Moss Side and decide instead to quickly drop in to the pools at the east end. Needn't have bothered: 5 Coots, 6 Gadwall and 1 Mute Swan is all that's visible on ERB, although I do hear a Kingfisher zip past. MBP is just as bad: 3 Gadwall, 2 Teal, 1 Coot, 1 Grey Heron. Time to head to...

Upper Moss Side 19:50

Head along Lapwing Lane past the lake rather than the usual more direct route to park up at Bob's Bridge and check the Cormorant roost along the way - 15 tonight in the trees on Lapwing Lake and 2 Little Egrets. There have been recent reports of up to 5 roosting there. Something to check more thoroughly next time. In a bit of a rush now as have to pick up the missus from one of her nights out and I really want to check Norton Marsh Pool for waders and the fields of Upper Moss Side for hunting Long-eared Owl. Birds of note en route to Norton Marsh; 4 Jay, 32 Swallows (most hawking over the little copse in the corner of Tree Sparrow Field), a brood of 9 Pheasants and 2 Brown Hares. Arrive at Norton hide and...

Long story short... get soaked to the knees stalking Norton Marsh Pool for a paltry 10 Gadwall (water levels way too high after recent tides to leave any muddy margins for waders) and get coated in thistle down yomping miles of owless fields until dusk when my phone goes and it's time to play taxi. The other half is done and so am I. Do get a consolation Little Owl silhouetted on one of the pillboxes though on the way back... wich is nice. Halfway House tomorrow maybe methinks...