Wow! Its nigh on three weeks since I updated this diary. You know what they say - 'too much work makes Toadsnatcher a dull boy'. I've done damn little birding in the last few weeks cos of work and weather, and latterly, DIY! Bleedin 'ell! Well, after a year in my Fenland pad, I could stand the dreary bathroom no longer so its been largely gutted and being redone. Thankfully, my wee brother Spidd is here to help for the week while I crack on with BOU work and planning for next weeks GM Birds conference I am running in London.

The last two days of 'real' weather seems to have brought the usual chaos and bringing parts of the country to a halt, and it has had a marked influence on the garden and surrounding fen. Yesterday, with the arrival of a few inches of snow, I saw over 6400 Woodpigeons on the fen - a slight increase on the usual 400+! And Skylarks, two flocks totaling 26 birds instead of the odd singleton. In the garden Reed Buntings and Yellowhammers have come in and I've still go a couple of Treeps.

With the weekend approaching I need to get out at least for a few hours to clear the old head!