Playing Catch-Up

I've been extra busy recently as a great lump in the form of my mate Cookie has recently descended upon my humble abode and is now ordering his presumed manservant (me) to carry on where his now historic girlfriend left off. Cookie is recovering from leg sugery and will be staying with me until the said leg is able to keep pace with the rest of his over active body allowing him to return to Canada and check on his lakeside house and organise a few loose ends that need tidying up over there.
So! Whats been about in camboys natural world these last five days? Seen something like 12 Kestrel, half a dozen Common Buzzard and another trip along the Great Brook road gave me views of the Egyptian Geese. Invited to a small shoot at Stanford yesterday and noted in excess of 50 Fieldfare and 8 Common Snipe also a covey of 15 French Partridge. I notice as we approach Winter the Linnet flocks are getting larger with several giving counts of 20 plus and both Chaffinch and Goldfinch are much in evidence although Yellowhammer are only being seen in small lots.
A couple of days ago a drive along the Cote - Standlake back road gave views of 30 Mute Swan and a mixed flock of feral Geese must have numbered 200 or more and included within the flock were Canada's and a few Snow Geese but the vast majority were Greylags whose parents had crossed with anything that stood still long enough. Among the recent Buzzard one individual was very white and I presume a this year juvenile. Long Tailed Tit flocks are always a joy to encounter and I have met several all numbering more than 8 in number, I guess Green Woodpecker 4 and Great Sp Woodpecker 3 are pretty meagre counts and unable to bear any numerical comparison to the flock of some 2,000 Starling in an arable stubble field alongside the Great Brook, no doubt as night draws in becoming part of the increasing Otmoor Starling roost now apparently in the 50,000 area.

Cookie at his most active

Egyptian Geese

Very white juvenile Common Buzzard

Mute Swans

Kestrel

Great Brook Road Starling

Oh Yeah! I ought to mention how many Pheasants I managed to murder as I was let loose on the Oxon countryside, um well I had one chance to cut another notch on my gun but missed by the proverbial mile - in fact I think my missiles were in another county to the unscathed bird and between the six guns we managed a total count of just two Pheasant so you can see my fellow guns are about as effective as myself in procuring something for the pot. Much more interesting than the shooting were the many Deer about mostly Roe with a few Muntjac too, and a couple of gorgeous ruby red Fox's.
The day was concluded at The Horse and Jockey tavern where a tasty meal was enjoyed in hearty company.