counting coots

I'm typing a little slower than normally as my hands are cold.  Not that that is particularly evident to you as you cannot see how quickly I normally type or how slowly I am typing now.  But anyway, just been out counting the Starlings under Wandsworth Bridge for the first time this year, and the count was approximately 4500 birds with the first 4000 leaving in a 25 minute period.  It wasn't ideal for counting them as when they first started leaving the roost it was a bit murky and they couldn't quite be picked out against the rather drab dawn.  There could be more under the bridge overnight, but not many - so the peak count I reckon will be about 5000, but I hope to get another count done in the next week or so on a clearer morning.   Compare this with a count before christmas and the total is pretty constant.