A Bullfinch enjoying the fruits of the hedgerow this morning...

and the Snipe were feeding in the mud while the Stonechat in front of them is on lookout...

A wintery river bank...

Smile for the camera! A Goldfinch looking very smart in the winter sunshine...

A dusting of snow on some logs...

and a Meadow pipit in the meadow...

meanwhile a Heron is fishing and watching over a group of Black-headed gulls on the scrape...

but gulls are not always just gulls... while most of the group were Black-headed gulls, the picture below shows that in fact two of the group were Common gulls (they have yellow legs) and one is a juvenile Herring gull (larger and brownish)...

A New Year and the Winter sunshine lights the main pool...

while the Water rail tiptoes across the ice...

A Waterail paddling on the edge of the pool again...

and the female Stonechat posing for her picture...

A frosty start today...

sees the Mistle Thrush enjoying the Mistle berries...

and so is the Blackcap...

while a Fieldfare keeps his distance...

Its all about camouflage!

A Reed Bunting in winter feathers on a Common Reed...

Spot the Snipe in this picture sitting in the reeds while keeping a beady eye on me...

And here is a female Bullfinch, spotted this morning on the back hedge enjoying some late blackberries...

and even her partner, having a doze, is not out of place, as he looks a bit like a colourful autumn leaf from a distance... 

A female Stonechat spying out the land...

the willow heron, restored to its place at the edge of the main pool...

and an iridescent Kingfisher stands out in the dull undergrowth...

A pair of Goldfinches having a head to head....

and one of two Cetti Warblers who were flitting in the hedge...

The warm sunshine of Autumn last week...

gave way to a north wind bringing a frost yesterday...

and rain overnight raised the water level in the main pool, making getting about easier for the Teal, who are looking very smart in their winter feathers...

there is even some water in the new scrape, much to the delight of a flock of pied wagtails and the ever opportunist hunter, the kestrel...

A Snipe also feeding on the muddy margins of the main pool...

And a female blackbird feeding on the hawthorn berries along the hedge...

10 days after arriving from their summer on the moors, these two male Stonechats are arguing over territory - this morning they spent half an hour chasing each other round the hedges....

while this Linnet sat watching their antics...

The elusive Water rail, caught on camera, searching for food in the muddy margins of the main pool...

The Kestrel sits looking over the newly cleared scrape...

it offers an excellent hunting ground ...

The Stonechats are returning for the winter ... this one sitting above a Reed Bunting...

and a Greater Spotted Woodpecker is checking the dead trees for grubs....

A Treecreeper spotted by the gate into the south meadow...

and plenty of insect activity in a sheltered hedge by the Mayfield Road Entrance gate...

Confrontation!

Pink candyfloss clouds making a beautiful sunset over the wetlands tonight...

This last week seems to be the week for Red Admiral butterflies... this one was sunning itself on some reeds by the path at the back of the main pool...

and flying up and down the river you might see this shape as I did this morning.... a cormorant

And a single swan on the main pool today, looking very pale... yes that's a colour photo!

Its Autumn!  The hedgerows are bursting with Autumn fruits...

the blackberry season is being enjoyed by the starlings...

a Blackbird rather likes the elderberries...

but the Long-tailed Tit here is probably more interested in tiny insects rather than the hawthorn berries themselves ....

as is the Wren...

and this Great Spotted Woodpecker will also be looking for insects... under the bark....

and here a Comma Butterfly is taking shelter from the breezy weather...