The first new bird of the year occurred on the 4/1 when a flyover Cormorant added a bonus to a dull winter's day.
The resident finch flock was some 70+ birds strong, occasionally joined by a couple of Redpolls and a record 8 Bullfinches. A single male Yellowhammer also joined the flock briefly on 24/2.
Siskins have been very scarce with only a single female wintering on the site.
Bramblings too have not been seen so far, unlike last year. This could be a combination of good food sources elsewhere and the mild winter weather in January.
By early February both Song and Mistle Thrushes were in full song, along with the resident Wrens, Dunnocks and Robins.
From early March a Little Owl could be heard calling on several evenings in the distance, as in 2004. Tawny Owls were also very vocal during their early breeding season and up to 3 birds were calling regularly early in the year.
