A blurred Rail

After a very cold night all the drinking and bathing pools in the garden were frozen.

This Pied Wagtail seem to be waiting for me to finish refilling the bird bath, and was soon down drinking when I came in.

Out of the village the roads were still frozen and around Coldred I noticed a white winged Crow among the Carrion Crows, Rooks and Jackdaws, feeding with the sheep.

Crows are often partially leucistic, but most of the ones I've seen with white in the wings only really show when they are flying, this one was more obvious.

At Bushy Ruff the family of Mute Swans were still together and of course though I was there to feed them. It wont be long before the parents chase of the youngsters, as they will want their territory to themselves in the breeding season.

There were at least four Little Grebes on the lake and they were already calling and starting to display. I had thought that with the hard weather and the fact that this lake hadn't frozen there might be some more unusual visitors, but no such luck.

There were at least two Grey Wagtails feeding round the stream and ornamental lake, they always seem to find small items of prey among the stones and bricks at the edge of the water.

I walked back to my car as it was getting dark and saw a shape scurrying along the edge of the path. It was so dark that my lens didn't want to focus, and I had to point it skywards first. A hand held 400mm shot at a quarter of a second isn't going to be great, but as it is the first Water Rail I've seen here I've put it on. When there was one it Danson Park, Welling a few year ago, it got used to people and would come out for peanuts, I might try baiting an area here.