PINK-FOOTED GEESE still but no owls or Waxwings

TUESDAY 4 JANUARY - LGRE DIARY NOTES

Despite a fresh SW wind, it remained very cold; in fact, I was surprised how cold the wind was. It was dry throughout and fairly bright.

WOBURN AREA (BEDFORDSHIRE)

The Waxwing drought continued and I was also to dip on this species in Barton-le-Clay and Shefford (meanwhile, Andy Plumb saw 35 in Flitwick !). There was no sign of Barry Nightingale's huge flock in Woburn.

I had better success though with Cowhill Belt Pond in Woburn Park (thanks Barry !) where the drake GOOSANDER was still present (viewed from George Street opposite the Triumph Motorcycle garage), 8 Wigeon and a Mute Swan. Bonus birds were a very vocal 'cronking' pair of COMMON RAVEN which flew west from the park and over the south side of the town.

Either side of The Turnpike and south of the A507 (in fields west of Moneypot Hill) were 5 Chinese Water Deer.

MAULDEN (BEDFORDSHIRE)

Another blank - Little Owl - the Duck End Nature Reserve at the end of Moor Lane yielding just 1 Yellowhammer.

SHEFFORD AND SOUTHILL AREAS (BEDFORDSHIRE)

Eight Redwings and 55 Common Starlings had conveniently replaced the 23 Waxwings in Shefford but Southill village performed by producing 18 TREE SPARROWS in the usual hedgerow and two different PINK-FOOTED GEESE - the regular adult and a new first-winter - with the 358-strong Greylag Goose flock east of the road just north of The Garden House at TL 150 422.

The rest of the day was a wash-out. Joined Andy Plumb and Clive Harris at yesterday's Short-eared Owl site at The Wixams, Wilstead (Dane Lane Developments) and saw nothing and failed to locate any Red-crested Pochards at Chimney Corner North.