No Birding Today,well sort of !!

Decided to have a day off of Birding today,had a bit of work,usually i would of fitted a bit of Birding around it but i've done quite a lot recently so thought it time for a rest of sorts.I was making my way to Dover around 11am when i was called back to do another job as the boat was delayed,after doing that job i thought it best to buy a 2012 diary for work even though it was now February,couldn't find one locally so ended up HAVING to go to Lakeside and that great British Institution WH Smiths,no wonder people shop in shopping centres,local shops seem to be absolutely useless nowadays.I don't like Shopping centres,preferring to shop locally but whats the fucking point when your local shops are naff.
While in Lakeside i popped into Jessops to look at Cameras,i was helped out by a lovely assistant who went through everything with me,i told her what i wanted it for and that i wasn't going to be serious,just wanted landscape shots & shots of the birds,she,unlike many other shop staff nowadays advised me to look around,she said the Cannon EOS550 with a seperate lens 75/300 i think,was a good deal but don't rush into buying it.Now i am clueless in camera speak but after a few minutes i started to get the drift,almost to the point of parting with £500,but going home to Alice and exclaiming ive just spent a monkey on camera may of been pushing it a bit.I have a friend who works at Currys,asked him what he thought,he is going to see if there are any deals,i also have a friend who is a Proffesional Photographer (hello Big Garry),who is taking me out locally some time next week so i can work out what i want etc and maybe find me a good deal on E bay or elsewhere,and quite cheap by all accounts.
I have only really been into photography in the way of enjoying looking at peoples photos or at exhibitions like the one at the Natural History Museum a couple of years ago,me and Alice went and it was brilliant,now i don't expect for one minute to enter any competitions,i simply want to be able to catch the birds i see,or at least some of them and also things like sunset/sunrise etc etc like tonights offerings from my Blackberry phone which i took on a drive out,before heading back down to Dover,where i am now,waiting for Customers.I like the evenings,when the sun is setting and when it has gone down in that little window before the dark sets in,you get lovely colours in the sky and i want to take photos of it,also i want to take photos of various sites around Upminster,especially farmland,lakes,basically anywhere where the average person who lives in and Around Upminster probably doesn't have a clue exists.
I told Alice about my photography issue,ie spending some wonga on the gear and as long as she gets to play with it a little (a very small amount if it has anything to do with me) then its fine.
Anyway,by about 4pm i was becoming restless,i had transferred all my 2012 appointments from old Diary to new and Alice wanted the Dongle for the computer for her coursework,the Nipper was making herself useful as usual charging round the flat exclaiming that everything is "WOW,AWESOME!" which is her new catchphrase for things like Molly the Doll and her toy house,whats awesome about them i don't know but she seems to think so,bless....
Anyway,as i was restless,thought i would leave for work a bit early,looking around the Fields and Sites for anything really but always hoping to see the odd Owl,none today i am afraid.First Stop was the Paddocks near the Country Park about 1/2 mile from my house,was probably about 4.30 when i got there and didn't see too much,a couple of Mute Swans i captured in a very crap photo Below:

See Crap Photos,from a Crap piece of Equipment,but lets face it,Blackberrys and their cameras are not really made for swans flying across Hornchurch Country Park at Dusk.
I next decided to head Past Bonnetts Wood,narrowly escaping being hit at 60 mph by a prick in a BMW 5 Series who decided he would hammer it down a country lane at 60mph at dusk and at -2c fucking plank.
On arriving there were a few Crows around and a Green Woodpecker and i managed to get a couple of Herons flying past in another Crap Photo in Crap light but you get my drift.......

                                                                               
From here i decided to head to Fen lane,bulphan in fading light,there wasn't much around and although the light looks poor in the photos and it was another 10 minutes later by the time i got there,it wasn't completely dark in fact for 5.15pm it was still quite light,a slow drive back towards Upminster saw me go past the Rookery in St Marys Lane,i think its the largest Rook Roost inside the M25 but not 100% sure....
I headed to Pike Lane and one of my favourite places to just park up and scan,by now the light had gone,was around 5.25pm but looking out to the West i did manage a spot of sillhouete birding above the trees.In around 15 minutes i counted 120 C Crows,8 Wood Pigeon,15 Fieldfare,2 Green Woodpeckers and 4 Redwing.A few tits were bouncing around the bushes,weyhay lol.Anyway,i got a few more naff pictures of my time sitting by the Car freezing my nuts off,here they are.............

Which one do you like,i know which one my favourite is and don't think for one minute i think they are anything special as they are not,am actually dying to get a decent camera and lens now HA HA

Not sure where i am off to tomorrow,got a 4am to Stansted first thing but should be back in bed for 5.30am,then may get up around 8 and go for a spot of birding before another airport pick up early evening tommorrow,wherever i go,expect some more pants photos in tomorrows edition,until i get a camera lol,laters chaps!!