1 February 2009

I usually go and check my patch by the Thames on saturdays, but yesterday I was expecting a delivery (which never arrived) so I did it this morning instead. Sky was grey, and there was a freezing easterly wind. They're predicting snow, you can feel it coming. The tide was coming in, and it was very noisy, due to lots of black headed gulls. I saw also:

• mallard: 24
  
• teal: 76
  
• gadwall: 29
  
• tufted duck: 14
  
• lesser black-backed gull: 4 adults at once on pier, including the slightly paler one
  
• common gull: 6
  
• Canada goose: 20, including a group of 14 in flight
  
• swan: 2 flying over
  
• grey heron: 1 arriving to fish
  
• moorhen: 2
  
• cormorant: 7
  
• shelduck: 1
  
• herring gull: 2 adults and 1 2W
  
• starlings