FIRECREST and CROSSBILLS

Started off this morning with a visit to Pryors Wood to try and catch up with the Firecrest after missing it yesterday. Arrived at 11.00am and spend 1.5 hours with Jim Rudland, Tony Hukin and Ray Hooper scouring the holly trees on the west side of the wood. Then at 12.30pm I heard my first crest call of the two days and managed to pin down the FIRECREST to a tall holly, but only managed two goood but brief glimpses of the bird. I called the others over but the bird went deep into the holly and didn't reappear.

I then widened the search with Ray and once again heard it call, right at the top of the canopy, which in my experience is not typical of Firecrest. This time all four connected with it albeit briefly before it worked its way through the canopy further into the wood. The area is around the wooden bench on the western side of the wood.

Then in the afternoon I decided to take my son's Springer for a run through Broxbourne Woods, which turned out to be one of my better decisions. I parked in the West Car Park and walked down through Cowheath Wood and up into Brambles Wood. It was clear that the emphasis was on quality rather than quantity because the only birds that I saw were 50 Siskins, 2 Lesser Redpoll and 8 COMMON CROSSBILLS........I've had worst days!! (Alan Reynolds)