We were never going to be able to keep the momentum up

The Safari took Frank out as usual early doors and as soon as we rounded the corner onto the main road we heard a Goldcrest in the neighbours garden shrubbery. The first of a few today.

We were late in to work due to tradesmen arriving much later than they said, they'd got caught in the morning traffic jams we were about to get diverted by. Our circuitous route through town had us pulling up a t a junction and waiting for the traffic lights, it was warm and for the first time this year the Land Rover's windows were down - above the noise of the traffic we heard another Goldcrest but couldn't pick it out in the vegetation - well we did have to keep one eye on the lights! Being late into work we went straight to our desk and perhaps we should have had a slow walk round the gardens, no morning blimp at Patch 2 either.

we did get out there for a short session at lunchtime but there was little doing and it was very hazy. A single Great Crested Grebe would have been the best/only bird if we hadn't have spotted the flock of 11 Eiders sat about 250 yards beyong it. They took some counting in the choppy conditions and we might not have actually got the correct figure!

Taking Frank out for his tea-time walk, very mild - no hat, no gloves and rolled up sleeves! -  gave us another Goldcrest, this time in the trees at the end of our street which are the sad remains of the original hedge that ran along the 'old' road alongside the long gone farm.

He nearly got to Patch 1 but mis-behaved so we turned him round. At Magpie Wood he stopped for a sniff, scratch and roll about and seven Swallows flew past quite low, soon followed by a Red Tailed Bumble Bee, our first of the year.

A Song Thrush scuttered from the Golden Triangle into the ornamental shrubs at the roadside and although we kept an eye looking skywards as we walked down the hill no Ospreys materialised in the distance.

Where to next? Could be a bit of a blow tomorrow which mihght well bring some interst to Patch 2, let's hope so.

In the meantime lets know what seemed to be everywhere you turned in your outback.