Wrapping up i nas many layers as possible I took the opportunity to walk the local fields and lanes and add a good few species on the patch year list - including two new ones. Little Egret and Jack Snipe.
The Little Egret was expected but still a bit of a surprise as I expected it fishing for newts on the pond opposite the house but it was actually in a ditch alongside a field of maize stubble. This is the first I've seen here even though theres a large breeding colony at nearby Burton Mere Wetlands RSPB about 8 km away as the Egret flies.
With the cold weather came large numbers of thrushes and Lapwings. 138 Lapwings on a freshly manured field was the record count but they moved on when the snow came. 10 Snipe round a small pond were expected as I'd seen them here before. What was totally unexpected though was the numbers that built up round the pond viewed from the window. I assume the10 from the smaller pond relocated across the field to the larger one that hadn't completely frozen over due to the Canada and Greylag Geese roosting on it at night as we could see them feeding out in the open from the window. The numbers quickly built up to a high count of 20 on Sunday morning.
Lapwings also took advantage of the open muddy areas where the sheep had been feeding and in managed to get a few shots over the farm gate.
Whilst crouched in the freezing weather photographing the Lapwings a Snipe flew in and started running towards me!
Another sign of cold weather was the arrival of the Coots and Moorhens. We've got a 'resident' pair of coots on the pond but 11 others turned up with the back up of 3 Moorhens. The local pair went ballistic and tired to chase off the interlopers but eventually gave up and sulked in their own chosen corner of the pond.
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