A cracking evening in the Valley

THURSDAY 3 JANUARY


Not a bad day overall, dry throughout, very light winds and temperatures recovering to 9 degrees C

Only managed the last hour of daylight in the CHESS VALLEY but what an evening......

I discovered a brand new COMMON MAGPIE roost along the Watercress House Loop Trail, holding no less than 59 birds.

I then joined Nick Foxton, Graham Smith, Joan and Anna down at Church Covert and from 1530 hours, Nick's BARN OWL performed. Present for its third day, this is the first record in the Valley for a very long time. Nick and Graham had watched it in flight for about 20 minutes before it caught a Field Vole and then I relocated it as it was getting dark, perched low down in a tree. This is an absolutely superb record and talking to Scott who owns the land, he has put up a Barn Owl nest box and is about to put up a second.

At 1630 hours, the GREAT WHITE EGRET flew east from Mill Farm Meadow to roost in Church Covert NR