This morning I had planned  to catch up with some long overdue grass cutting but with some lingering frost and a snow flurry making the grass wet the normal routine was resumed. After wearing summer gear last week today was back to winter gear. I decided to check out the usual haunts of the Egyptian Geese but drew a blank, talk about a Wild Goose Chase. On my way to the lakes I passed a single and a pair of Roe-deer grazing peacefully a Little Egret and a Pheasant were on an arable field. In the water meadow there were a pair of Red-legged Partridge, they soon scuttled away and out of sight. At the lakes at the far end of the south one I could see a small duck close to the Canada Goose pair. I quickly got my camera out a took a couple shots, but then one of the geese drove it off. I didn’t know type of duck it was but as it flew away I could it’s distinctive wing patches. Luckily the duck circled round and landed on the North Lake at the far end fortunately there is a seat under a Weeping Willow at the end I was at. I managed several shots and as a bonus the duck decided to have a wash and brush up enabling me to photograph it’s back, undersides and the back of it’s outstretched wings. Back home all the clues pointed to a female Goldeneye. The grass still has to cut. (JP)

(Editor’s note: this is just the third record of this species for Henfield; the previous two occurred in 1996 and 2000.)