Garden Tick & New Hythe List Update

I threw some scraps out on the back lawn this morning which soon drew the attention of some of the big boys on the block. First to the feast were the magpies as usual, followed by a jay which was quickly seen off by it's cousins. The four carrion crows which have taken up residence in the lakeside trees were next on the scene managing to look threatening and comical at the same time as they hopped and strutted their stuff. Very soon the black headed gulls started to take an interest, swirling around the garden and coming in lower and lower, plucking up the courage to land on the grass and make off with their prize. As I watched I noticed a couple of common gulls had joined the fray, time and again they hovered about four feet off the ground but couldn't quite bring themselves to land. It wasn't until one of the blackheads landed and started hoovering up that one of the common gulls decided it was now or never and landed on the path, a new garden visitor for me.



Back to New Hythe after that, I know, I can't keep away at the moment , this weather just makes me want to get out, although it's no joke for the wildlife and birds like this song thrush which was busy foraging in the area around the divers' bridge.

Four species were added to my NH list today:

Chiffchaff seen in the corner of Abbey Mead lake, very close to where the treecreeper was seen.

Kingfisher flying down the millstream looking bluer than ever in the sun

Greylag on Tesco lake, enough said.

Lastly and best for me was a water rail also on the upper reaches of the millstream.

I'm also 95% sure I saw a goldcrest on the path between the river and Abbey Mead but it was a fleeting glimpse so I can't be sure, therefore I won't be adding it to my list, if confirmed this would have been my best bird today given the huge decline at New Hythe and probably everywhere else compared to last year.