While walking my dog Saturday morning I was a bit short of time so I couldn’t go for too long. There didn’t seem to be very much about but I checked on the Egyptian Geese, the female was sitting on their nest but he was nowhere to be seem. I could hear Canada Geese making a racket by the fishing lakes. As I entered a stubble field I spotted a pair of Partridge walking away from me, I couldn’t tell if they were Grey Partridge or Red-legged with their backs to me and the distance away. I followed them hoping for a long range photo for I.D. purposes but they stayed well in front from of me and eventually passed through a hedge and out of sight. I continued round the circuit of the field, thinking I haven’t really got time for this, but you know how it is. I’m really glad I made that detour because I stopped to look at a small party of Greylag Geese flying in thinking there will be trouble with the Canada Geese down on the lakes. While standing beside a tree and scrub lined stream and looking up at the geese an explosive clatter of wings on twigs turned me around, thinking Pheasant but no to my surprise and delight not one but two Woodcock flew up, I know that is unusual but I was less than ten feet away. I think that if I hadn’t stopped to look at the geese they would have stayed put. (JP)