Patch in the snow .....

 Two trips to the patch , one on Monday last week ( before the snow!) and then yesterday .
Firstly last weeks visit which gave me first  views of year of Lesser redpoll , two seen but more heard as I walked round towards the broad opening.
On the broad it self;
Teal: x4
Gadwall:x 41
Tufted: x23
Interestingly coot count was up to x18 ( no doubt majority from Whitlingham )
A pair of Common Snipe sat on the shingle spit along with a few Crows,a Grey heron over head and few Cormorants dropped in to the broad.
A few Egyptian geese flew overhead as I picked up 3 x Lapwings on the marsh scrape. A large Tit flock along the railway line gave me , blue, great and Long Tailed tit for the year list .
 Now to yesterday's visit before the snow,which was quiet until I approached the broad . Immediately taken back by the vast amount of wildfowl , particularly the number of gadwall. Two counts were taken, 166 & 178 .Also still a good number of Tufted and Teal and some Pochard.Part of broad was frozen over which a number of Coots were using to run across . As i made my way round towards the marshes i saw a Harrier flying low across, heading towards the railway line. I quickly got the bins on it and realised it was a Ringtail Hen Harrier! A super patch tick.I watched it disappear in amongst the trees the other side of the railway line & unfortunately to never see again.
 As i walked back towards the bridge with the snow just starting to fall, i  saw a pair of Green Finches up in the tree tops.
  
 
This weeks cold winter weather has brought some nice birds to the garden feeders and neighbours bushes. A few blue and gt tits , robin and 2 x blackbirds along with a few Redwings ,(cracking bird ) and a gt spotted woodpecker over the house were all very much welcomed as me and George watched from the comfort of our house.
 Saturday while walking George i had a Gt Sotted Woodpecker on the pub ariel (3rd time i seen it on there) ,a cracking flock of Fieldfare over which were probably the same flock that dropped into our neighbours front tree.  Also a Cormorant passed over head and then we had a smart little Pied Wagtail appear on the house top ,opposite our house as I approached home. I know this bird usually is seen at the the end of road near the local shops but its closest to the house I've had it.A good weeks  birding, me's thinks!
 Happy Birding
 Shaky


Sent from my iPhone