The Stour Valley list for 2020stands at 89 species so far.
Please send your sightings to martynwilson@talktalk.net
January 12th
Yesterday, the 11th, began as normal, at the Tower hide at Stodmarsh in the dark. A Tawny Owl was calling near the car park upon arrival and another was calling near the river while we waited for Woodcock on the bend just beyond Tower hide. Sadly we drew a blank on Woodcock today. We had 14 Marsh Harriers out of roost and 2, possibly 3, ringtail Hen Harriers out. Not much in the way of Geese although a distant flock beyond Grove were probably Greylags and a single White-fronted Goose was in front of the Reed Bed hide. Additions to the list were Little Grebe and Lesser Redpoll. The Redpoll was with a flock of at least 80 Goldfinch feeding in the Alder Wood. Also Chaffinch, Treecreeper, Blue and Great Tits, Robin and Goldcrest were here and the Tawny Owl was still in the Woodpecker tree but in the next hole down. Today, Sunday, Sue and I were at Grove where it was cold and grey, very windy and often drizzly with not that much to see. We decided on a trip to Trenleypark Wood in the hope of something in the shelter from the wind. Very quiet on the Fordwich/Trenley side of the road but, in our usual Marsh Tit spot just beyond the concrete path on the north side of the road we had superb views of 1 Nuthatch, 2 Marsh Tits, 2 Coal Tits, 1 Lesser-spotted Woodpecker as well as several Blue, Great and Long-tailed Tits, Treecreepers and Blackbirds, loads of Blackbirds.