A damp start to the new year.

Bloomin weather! Since the 1st of January when we had a very rare frost we've had nothing but rain!
Most of my birding has either been walking the local patch or ringing. However, I've managed one mini twitch for my 2nd Cheshire Pallas's Warbler found by Steve Hinde at Heswall sewage works on Saturday afternoon. Al Orton rang me around 15.30 but it was to late to get there before dusk so  I went Sunday morning.

The weather was appallingly wet and the bird was quite elusive and distant so I didn't get any photo's. It was great to see some familiar faces again though. My 1st Cheshire Pallas's Warbler was also a winter bird and was along a railway embankment in Congleton in 2004/5.

Between rain showers I put the mist nets out in the garden. Highlight was the first Lesser Redpoll ringed in the garden since last winter.

Although most of the birds were Blue & Great Tits I did catch a new Great-spotted Woodpecker along with a retrap from 2 years ago and a few Goldfinches including this young male showing the typical tail feather shape of young birds that haven't moulted their tail feathers.