This last week has finally seen a good covering of snow here at Geltsdale, and some plummeting temperatures to boot. Our smew sadly fled the encroaching ice on the tarn on the 17th. However, an even rarer duck, for here, has arrived, with a pair of gadwall taking up residence (the first since 2007).
The cold weather has brought some unusual visitors to the Visitor Centre garden, with regular reed buntings and even the odd snipe seeking refuge here. Although Bullfinches are expected winter arrivals, it’s still a pleasure to see parties of up to 14 feeding on dock and heather seeds in the area. Black grouse numbers are looking promising for the coming spring, with up to 12 females and 5 males seen a couple of days ago just around the Stagsike trails. Red grouse are now grouping together in large numbers, with flocks of up to 80 on the lower fells. A single waxwing was seen yesterday on the northern edge of the Reserve – about time one of these striking immigrants turned up here.
One very interesting piece of winter bird behaviour was witnessed earlier on this week. Three ravens engaged in a noisy aerial chase were seen to land on a snowy slope. They then proceeded, in turn, to ‘body board’ down through the snow with their wings open for a few metres, before running back up to repeat the exercise. With very little water remaining unfrozen, this is obviously a good way for the birds to wash and keep their plumage in good condition, and they certainly seemed to be enjoying the experience!
A thaw is forecast for the weekend (to be replaced by rain and high winds!). But even during the freeze, a dipper has been singing persistently from the beck behind the Visitor Centre – a sure sign that the days are starting to draw out, towards what we hope will be a slightly drier (and warmer) breeding season than the one we ‘enjoyed’ in 2012...