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I started my walk this morning in Stoke Park. It is very wet underfoot but by wading through the very deep puddles surrounding the area of reeds I did get good views of a male and female stonechat.

Stonechat

As I walked around Duchess Pond a grey heron took off and presented me with another great opportunity to photograph it in flight.

I didn’t see much else so walked across to Eastville Park on the other side of the M32.

The first bird to greet me here was a cheery robin.

On the lake there were 4 more grey herons.

There were also 4 mute swans on the lake. However, the most exciting birds for me were a little grebe and a teal (the first one I have seen here).

Little grebe

Teal

I could also just see the tawny owl in its box on the island.

Tawny owl

There are lots of black-headed gulls on the lake and lots of corvids around it.

Black headed gull

Magpie

Crow

Before I left a cormorant flew in and posed on a nearby branch.

Both profiles of the cormorant