RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch

I took part in the big garden birdwatch for the RSPB this morning between 8:00am and 9:00am and clocked 3 Blackbird, 2 Blue Tit, 2 Chaffinch, 1 Dunnock, 1 Goldfinch, 1 Great Tit, 5 House Sparrow, 2 Robin, 3 Starling, 5 Woodpigeon, 2 Reed Bunting and 1 Blackcap.  Shame the watch does not include flyovers as I had 3 Lesser Black Backed Gulls, 5 Blackheaded Gulls, 1 Cormorant and 1 Great Spotted Woodpecker.

After an exhausting morning shopping in Stratford Upon Avon, we rushed back home, collected our bins and made our way to Draycote Water to have a look at the gull roost.  The roost seemed quite small to normal standards but I managed to find an adult Caspian among the larger gulls and as we walked round the Reservoir we obtained good views of a Smew along Farnborough Bank and a Black Necked Grebe off the Windsurfing area.  It was quite dark by the time we were finished and the walk back to the car made us surprise a largish deer along the hedgerow which barked indignantly at us (possibly a Roe stag).  A good round off to what had been a bit of a bird free week.