The Long-tailed Duck finally departed, forced off The Shunan with every other duck as it froze, so it failed to make it on to the WeBS count list. However, a surprise that did make the list was the Water Rail I flushed from the burn by our road into the bottom of the hawthorn hedge. The cold has spread the Fieldfares, Redwings and Blackbirds loosely across the lower fields, not in their usual tight travelling flocks but in a settled feeding scatter. It has also brought a large flock of Golden Plover, sometimes more than 340 or so, more than 100 Lapwings, Snipe and Redshank popping up in odd places, a Woodcock and an annoying Dunlin sized wader which flew into the distance with a gang of Golden Plover.
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Goldies in front of The Shunan.
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More Goldies.
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Today, as well as a real freeze we got some snow, not a lot but enough if the wind gets up to be annoying. However, the ice and snow this morning revealed some of the pedestrians using our road.
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Otter, human and feral cat tracks on the road.
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Otter tracks.
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The hybrid gull appears to be agreed as just that, a hybrid. However, in Pete Grant's gull book there is an image of a 3cy Glaucous with similar markings, perhaps that's an ID error? The age of the gull might be ammended though as following up the suggestion it is a 2cy I did a little research and agree that is more likely.
Mooching about in the conservatory I did find an Angle Shades.
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Angle Shades.
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Otherwise, with nice light, I have been taking a few photos.
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| Sycamore. |
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Ruined steading.
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| Tractor. |
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Blizzard coming.
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