Lewis and Carter

Birding with Lewis checked out the Yew trees in St Thomas's church at West Hyde for the reported
Coal tits proved fruitless,so we moved off to Maple Lodge on route around 30c Fieldfare were
amongst the wood pigeon in flight over the Uxbridge road.
At the Lodge we made our way to the Rotunda hide where the Green Sandpiper obliged alongside

two Mallard.Overhead Common Buzzard and Red Kite along with Grey Heron,

plagued the resident duck notably the Common Teal who were at comparative ease on
the flooded water meadow,they flushed slightly mostly the females.

From the panel one snipe was on the edge of the phragmites reed bed no sign of
yesterday's magnificent seven.

At the Sluice a pair of Little Grebe were present along with a party of male Tufteds
and single female.

Further up Long Hedge some Pochard beat a retreat and the single Great Crested Grebe
was patrolling the Willow carr hopefully looking for a nest site.

So ended our window of oppurtunity as domestic tasks had arisen,on adjacent
Lynsters farm the regular pair of Egyptian Geese wallowed in mud with the
Canadas.We reluctantly left as Nimbus clouds raced across the sky bringing rain.