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The wind and rain have let up for a moment and, although it was a dismal morning, I enjoyed getting out for a short walk across to Stoke Park.

I was hoping to see some stonechats and a little grebe which had been reported but I didn’t even get a glimpse.

Duchess Pond was full to the brim and there were mallards, moorhen, coots and Canada geese. Rather menacingly 4 buzzards circled overhead and squabbled and mewed amongst themselves but they didn’t bother anything else. I could see ravens in the distance over the woods. A green woodpecker also flew over and a solitary black-headed gull swooped quite close to me.

The best of the morning was a chiffchaff – my first of this year. A few people on Twitter have suggested it is a Siberian Chiffchaff and this has now been confirmed.

Siberian Chiffchaff

Siberian Chiffchaff

Siberian Chiffchaff

Siberian Chiffchaff

Siberian Chiffchaff

Siberian Chiffchaff

Siberian Chiffchaff

Siberian Chiffchaff

Buzzards

Black-headed gull