My title, well, it was cold at Old Moor today despite being 10°C on the gauge in my car. The wind was bitter and I'm afraid I gave up after about an hour and a half. Thankfully there were a few hardier souls than me and I have quite a lot to report both from the sightings book and from Twitter.
I'll start with a couple of fabulous photos which were taken by Kev Dunnington (@Cerbykev) this week and shared with us via Twitter.
I love this photo of a robin with a beak-ful in the sunshine!
Kev also posted this photo of a weasel with a meal. What a pic! he told me that he took it in the playground near the kids tractor. Thanks very much Kev.
So first to the sightings from the book at Old Moor today.
On the Wader Scrape there were 2 common tern, 2 common sandpiper, 2 ringed plover, a female pintail and a male pintail, one curlew, one yellow wagtail, at least 4 shelduck that I saw, many black headed gulls, displaying lesser black backs, tufted duck, coots, mallards and gadwall.
My highlight from the Wader Scrape today was watching the swifts zooming around like they do. Great to see them again after their long travel back from Africa. Here's a link to the RSPB website about them that explains in more detail about their migratory journey.
A bittern was booming today and I could hear it along Green Lane. I learned today that the bittern has other names - see this link from the Somerset Wildlife Trust - bog trotter, barrel maker, bog-bull, butterbump and mire drum. My favourite is 'bog-trotter.'
Next from the book comes a sighting of 2 Cetti's warblers along the river, 8 oystercatchers at Old Moor, 5 sedge warblers at OM, 19 pochard and 4 med gulls on the Mere. Then we had 2 buzzards flying over, 3 lesser whitethroats on Green Lane and a kestrel near the pylon.
On Wombell Ings today we had a greenshank, a little egret, 3 whimbrel, a med gull, 2 avocet and a great white egret. At Edderthorpe there was a garganey and 2 little egret as well as 50 swallows and 30 sand martins (via John Clarkson on Twitter).
Also at Bolton today, via the Barnsley Birders on Twitter, we have sightings of a garden warbler, 2 red legged partridge and 3 jay.
11 wheatear were seen at Adwick via Gary Haywood and 2 black necked grebes were seen at Bolton via assistant warden Karen.
Here's her photo...
The bird garden had all the usual current suspects and still included a yellowhammer.
That's it apart from one last photo - a dropped breakfast on Green Lane from Karen, our assistant warden!
I think I'd rather have my porridge thank you...