Local trips gets me 4 year ticks.

We pay another visit to Lemsford Springs as a Jacksnipe had been seen there, I pick up the only remaining key from the warden's house and head down to the hides, only one fellow in the hide and he had no sight of the Bird.

So we headed off to the other hide to search for it but all we saw were 3 Common Snipes 6 Green Sandpipers, a couple of Grey Wagtail plus 8 Little Egrets. So after 2 hours we gave up and headed off to Baldock and found a flock of Corn Buntings and another tick when we found some Grey Partridge as we drove around the roads.

One last place to go today as we need to see a Little Owl and we know a park close to where we are, on arrival, we head across the park to scan two large trees in front of the closed cafe.

It takes half an hour before somebody spots a single Little Owl sitting on the main trunk, it is really hard to see, but once on it, you wonder why it took so long to find.

The bird stayed still for ages but when it did move it popped out and went up and down the branches to give us all great views of it.

The next day we hear that a Fudge duck was on a local pond that is only a few miles from home. 

The Ferruginous duck is showing but it is half-hidden by weeds and branches.

After 20 minutes of watching the duck, it came out and showed really well close to where we were standing for some nice photos. 

The Ferruginous duck

Showing well the Little Owl