The black marks are corvids, not muck on the lens.
By mid morning the fog finally cleared leaving a very wet grey day but at last we could see something.
Birds were very active at midday around Foxhill park with several Greenfinch, Chaffinch and Blackbirds about as well as 12 Common gulls and 8 Black Headeds on the football pitch.
Just time to harness the dogs and dash round to Roper Lane after work for a sky watch before dark which tonight fell at around 1830 giving me just short of an hour.
Dark clouds rolled over bringing light rain on a strong WSW>5 which dropped as darkness fell.
First bird seen was a Wheatear on a distant wall but after a couple of record shots it lifted up into the wind not to be re located.
No signs of Pinkies on the move, just the usual pre roost corvids over along with a few LBB gulls and 2 very high Magpies which kept going >W.
Back home and a walk up Foxhill park after dark brought the pleasing sound of Redwing contact calls with what sounded like a flock of decent numbers >W and checking the blogs later I found Redwings had been sighted over Caldene fields today, MP, BOG.
Lets see what the weekend turns up.
BS