Nineteen stoutly booted members gathered at Pyrford Lock car park which was so covered by a layer of mud that it boded ill for the underfoot conditions on the afternoon walk. The meadow opposite held mainly jackdaws accompanied by two surprising rooks with a couple of Egyptian geese on the far side. Robins and great/blue tits flitted around while some of the group were able to glimpse a noisy nuthatch. Then a few restless redwings flew by. Moving across the road, several fieldfares could be viewed atop a distant oak in the company of some goldfinches and starlings similarly perched. A buzzard drifted by and three parakeets screeched past. The meadow opposite the lake was disappointing with only a blackbird and two song thrushes briefly in view. The lake itself initially offered numerous coots and black-headed gulls but soon a few great crested grebes and cormorants were sighted. A wren and a solitary long-tailed tit were perched in the waterside trees. Further around two common gulls, a grey heron, some mute swans and five pochards were on the water. The path leading to the farm was quiet though a few redwings and fieldfares caught the eye as one splashed in a small pool. A bucket high in an oak caused considerable puzzlement but a couple of members were pleased to have ticked an item on their bucket lists! At the lock a sparrowhawk gave a speedy flypast. Sightings across the water meadows were limited, a distant red kite and a call from a green woodpecker being the highlights. The hoped for barn owl did not appear discouraged no doubt by the chilly wind. So it was back in the dusk along the muddy river bank to the car park. An most enjoyable walk delivered a species list of forty.