Fields behind the RSSKL (14th February)

• cloud 3/3 shade 1/3
• wind 1-2/3 NW
• temp. 1/3

Another walk behind the RSSKL, by which time nearly all the snow had melted leaving much of the soil fully saturated with water.  My sister had just returned from the fields explaining how she had just seen 100's of "small birds", I decided to investigate, in hope of the hundreds of Linnet that had arrived in previous years.  The reality was a little more disappointing as I only noted a total of 49 Linnet in the first field (area E+F) together with 12+ Skylarks. 1 Yellowhammer also flew over and 1-2 Green Woodpeckers were heard.  After crossing the A41 bridge into area J I was surprised to see a Grey Heron take off from the field and the small coppice neighbouring Berrybushes Farm had 2 flyover Siskin.  I decided to head down the small track leading to Middle Farm in hope of a bigger number of farmland birds and was very pleased to find the fields to the right of the path in area N fully occupied by 100+ Fieldfare, Chaffinches, 8+ Yellowhammer, 80+ Starling and lesser numbers of Goldfinches, and Linnet.  Also of note were up to 6 Stock Dove, and a flyover Sparrowhawk which unfortunately flushed almost all the birds before they dispersed into the surrounding fields.  The highlight were 15 Lapwing flying over the A41 (area N+G) a rather scarce bird in the region.  Even more surprising was the further find of 32 Lapwing in the ploughed field directly under the flight path of the previous flock, by far the largest group I have had in my local patch.  Other birds of note included dozens of Redwing in the small horse field neighbouring Middle Farm, 2 Buzzards, another calling Siskin, a single Grey Heron, possibly the same individual as was seen further NE of Middle Farm, and finally a single Sparrowhawk putting up 29 of the 32 Lapwing and making them head in a northerly direction.