Foot It: Day 2

Today's walk took me somewhat further afield, about a 12 mile round trip to the riverside pastures of Papercourt near Send to look for the short-eared owls that often overwinter there.

The Wey Navigation canal winds its way across meadows and past Newark Abbey on its journey from West Byfleet to Papercourt. The best bird found on the way was a stunning lesser-spotted woodpecker, the first I've ever seen in Surrey. Tufted duck was always going to be tricky because of a lack of local lakes so a pair on a small golf course pond was a good find as was a pair of egyptian goose waddling across a riverside field which also held three green woodpecker foraging for insects.

Papercourt meadows held no owls but three stonechat was an unexpected addition to my Foot It list which now stands at 35, or 60% of my target.

1. Cormorant
2. Grey heron
3. Mute swan
4. Mallard
5. Tufted duck
6. Kestrel
7. Pheasant
8. Moorhen
9. Black-headed gull
10. Feral pigeon
11. Wood pigeon
12. Rose-ringed parakeet
13. Green woodpecker
14. Pied wagtail
15. Wren
16. Robin
17. Song thrush
18. Blackbird
19. Great tit
20. Blue tit
21. Long-tailed tit
22. Nuthatch
23. Magpie
24. Jay
25. Jackdaw
26. Rook
27. Crow
28. Starling
29. House sparrow
30. Chaffinch
31. Siskin

Plus: Egyptian goose, lesser-spotted woodpecker and stonechat.