This weekend the RSPB are asking people to count birds in their gardens as part of a national survey. The winter has been mild so far.  I have read newspaper reports suggesting that as a result birds have not needed to come to gardens for emergency food and that could skew the RSPB survey results.  There are lots of  birds about in Abingdon, but not many come to our garden, but then we have a cat, and so don’t feed them.

None of these birds were seen in our garden. The chaffinch was near the River Ock.

A blackbird was nearby.

Two magpies in the Abbey Gardens.

Robins are to be heard at regular intervals along the Ock Valley Walk and the Abbey Mill Stream.

This Kingfisher did not stop long enough for me to get a clear shot but it did rest for a moment by the River Ock before speeding low along the river.

Thanks to Peter for this picture of the deer at Wick Hall through the trees from Radley lakes. He says these countryside walks start only a few hundred yards from the Peachcroft/Audlett Drive estates.

The hide on the Abingdon side of Radley lakes has a large poster of birds on the wall and on Peter’s visit he identified several species of duck and other water birds eg different gulls, grebes and cormorant. He says “Who knows what you might see. (Take your binoculars though!). There is a claim of someone seeing an osprey last autumn! The path around the lake is easy to follow and well worth a visit. The Earth Trust have done a marvellous job so far and I hope they raise the funds to build a visitor centre.“