Brief hint of winter this week with calm conditions, a calm sea, frosty Wednesday morning with bright sunshine and then a dusting of snow on Thursday morning which had melted by lunchtime.
Tuesday late afternoon with the tide just turning back, two red-throated divers were seen offshore and a good count of 35 red-breasted mergansers, many flying out of the Colne in small groups. Hundreds of gulls streamed onto the sea for the night-time roost. Close in on the mud nearby were 24 sanderling and nearby on the tops of posts were 120 turnstone waiting patiently for the mud to become exposed.
Tuesday late afternoon with the tide just turning back, two red-throated divers were seen offshore and a good count of 35 red-breasted mergansers, many flying out of the Colne in small groups. Hundreds of gulls streamed onto the sea for the night-time roost. Close in on the mud nearby were 24 sanderling and nearby on the tops of posts were 120 turnstone waiting patiently for the mud to become exposed.
On the park in the last half hour of light the ghostly figure of the local barn owl was seen coming towards me before banking sharply away over a nearby hedge near to the park pond.
On the clear and crisp frosty Wednesday morning, many of the waterfowl had deserted the dykes and creeks because of ice. However 13 little grebes were huddled together in one unfrozen section of dyke. The big mute swans lumbered down into the water and the sound of cracking ice made them sound like big Russian ice-breaker ships at work.
The 400 brent and 100 wigeon were grazing one edge of the field and one goose had some green coloured rings that looks like a long lost bird seen in previous years that was ringed in Siberia about ten years ago.
The 400 brent and 100 wigeon were grazing one edge of the field and one goose had some green coloured rings that looks like a long lost bird seen in previous years that was ringed in Siberia about ten years ago.
Elsewhere 24 snipe had decided to stop lurking in thick cover and get out for some action. Feeding in a part of the field warmed up by the sun but sheltered from the frost, the snipe were tucking into a cold worm breakfast.
Nothing to report from the snowy morning except for a flock of 20 meadow pipits and about 5 skylarks that flew out of the long grass in the park. A handful of lapwings made use of the deserted park to feed.
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