Monday 2nd January 2023 - Newton St Loe.

 

Overflow from the bottom lake into Corston
Brook - Bath Birdwatcher

For my 1^st outing of the year my wife and I went to Newton St Loe for a walk and obviously some birding. We parked by the church and walked through the churchyard and into the fields beyond where our first sightings were fly over Rooks, and as we continued through the field a Blackbird flew along the hedgerow to our left. On the bottom road in the hedge were House Sparrows, and in trees to our right were a few Jackdaws. Goldfinch were on the wires by the cottages and 2 Robins were at the top of the footpath. Nothing else until the bottom lake where 4 Mallard were seen. Lots of anglers which maybe why we saw nothing else here. More action on the top lake with a minimum count of 42 Mallard but with the sun in our eyes and a lot of the ducks up the bank an exact count was difficult. Also on the lake were 8 Moorhen, 3 Coot, the resident pair of Mute Swans, 3 Little Grebe and 9 Teal. Approaching the Temple I found a Treecreeper and a Goldcrest in the same tree. A Nuthatch and a Blue Tit were in the trees by the footpath and under the trees on the far side of the lake was the female Tufted Duck. We continued around the lake and stopped by the Keep overlooking the lake and here a Great Spotted Woodpecker flew by and while looking down the lake a Cormorant flew in, landing on the lake. Woodpigeon and Carrion Crows flew over. Where we stood between the path and a grassed area leading down to the lake is a ditch some 6ft deep by 8ft wide, and we were amazed when a female Sparrowhawk flew along the ditch from right to left. A Great Tit and Meadow Pipit were our final sightings of the morning

Great Tit - NSL (Bath Birdwatcher)

Jackdaw - NSL (Bath Birdwatcher)

Back at home where a male and female Blackcap were on the feeders and a Wren appeared on the fence before flying over to next door. A flyby Lesser Black Back Gull and 2 Dunnocks proved to be the final 2 sightings of the day.