At long long last winter seems to have remembered what it should be like and brought a bit of a chill to the Sands signaling a subtle change to the range of birds on offer and bringing a few x-tra goodies to the local area. Early in the week there were a couple of smart little European white fronted geese mixed in with about 400 pinkfeet just outside Adlingfleet, the day was a little dull but I managed to get a few record shots. Keep a look out for them if you spot a flock of pinkies feeding in the fields nearby there may be more on the way if its cold on the continent.
White-fronts and pinkies
And on the way back from our volunteers thank you do in Goole it was pleasing to see about 45 corn buntings using one of the stubble fields next to Whitgift church (along church lane from Little Reedness to A161). Always pleasing to see lots of these little chubby buntings these days and fortunatly this area is always good for them if there is a suitable field for them to feed in.
Starlings and Corn buntings
Strangely with the drop in temperature we've been getting quite a bit of fungi emerging and after such a poor autumn I'm at last starting to get excited about them all over again - yes sad I know but just have a look at the photo's. Haven't had time to ID any of them!
These are all iced over - lovely
You may be thinking that its been a slow week on the reserve but you would be wrong! The harrier roost really has responded to the drop in temperatures with at least two hen harriers, a grey male and a ringtail coming in to roost and up to 23 marsh harriers, also on offer has been peregrine, barn owl, spadgerhawk and kestrel.
Some off the lagoons still haven't frozen up yet so a good number of wigeon, teal, mallard, shoveler, shelducks and gadwall on them along with goldeneye, pochard, little grebe and up to two little egrets.
I have no idea what these wigeon are feeding on at Townend - all that lovely grass and they seem to be eating mud!!!??
Flyover little egret
Shelducks set against a lovely blue sky
Waders too have been impressive with up to 240 black tailed godwits, 30 snipe, then lapwings, golden plovers, curlews, redshank, ruff and dunlin - pretty respectable for January!
Spot the marshie! - also black tailed godwits and lapwings
Black tailed godwits landing
Curlew
The little bods have been good too with today a very notable influx of song thrushes about with at least five on Singleton lagoon bund. I had a great encounter with a few fieldfares next to Ousefleet hide which were joined by a male stonechat! Good numbers of reed buntings feeding and also goldfinch and greenfinch mixed in with the tree spadgers. There is also a lovely great spotted woodpecker frequenting the hedge and chance of kingfisher along the feeder ditch in front of the hides
Simply fieldfare
And a close up
I Still cannot believe how many Cetti's warblers are about at the moment, out surveying the bearded tits this morning I just heard them chuntering in about every bit of available reed on site! Mind you the seeing them is sometimes rather a different story
This one was only yards away, can you spot the little brown jobbie.
A stunning male stonechat in the reedbed
Those robins still keep begging for food
And with the cold maybe a few beardies may start to show near the hides, these snaps were taken on my survey transect this morning - you can see they are now avidly eating the reed seed
We'll probably start to freeze up over the weekend but the raptor roost at least should be good value if not a little chilly birding, wrap up well with plenty of base layers as you need to hang on fairly late to see the hen harriers some nights.
The colder it is the more the koniks feel at home, still positively tropical for these lads.