Late winter activity and early spring plants

 The spell of hard weather brought the hoped-for unusual visitor to Kings Pond with this female Mandarin - presumably pushed off a frozen water elsewhere. 

A micro-nap for a few seconds.

Tufted Duck numbers varied from day to day - maximum 11. Cormorants are supposedly all black - but look at the actual colour of the upper feathers with the black edging.

The most-photographed bird in East Hampshire ? One of the tame Robins

Farmland birds: Golden Plover along the Selborne Road - there has long been a traditional small flock of 20-30 here with the actual fields being used varying from year to year. Not seen by me for a few years and just 17 now.

As usual they don't need to fly for long before forming echelons/V's

Redwing were finding feeding more difficult in the hard spell.

While Pheasants and Hares were becoming more active in response to the longer day length and approaching breeding season

Start of march madness - hope the shaking in the bitterly cold strong wind does not distract too much

Knowledge of what grows where allows me to know that these are Ransomes (wild garlic) coming through

... and these are Bluebells and Wild Daffodils.

Plenty of these now...

But just the odd Lesser Celandine still

Even the sun has put in the odd appearance

An alternative late winter/early spring spot of colour. The Scarlet Elf Cap (or maybe Ruby Elf Cap). As expected - on dead wood among moss.