Woke up to a white winter wonderland this morning so I decided to have a walk around the perimeter of the reserve in the afternoon to see what it looked like under snow and in the bright sunshine (some photos added to the gallery). Most of the open water on the reserve was frozen and covered with a thin layer of snow. What open areas remained held concentrations of duck - about 100 teals, 40+ gadwalls, eight wigeons, seven shovelers, a male pintail, two female/immature goldeneyes, a male pochard, and about 30 mallards and a similar number of tufted ducks. A bittern flew across the reedbed before a clumsy crash landing in a patch of reeds and a little egret flew over Phase 3. A water rail was calling from the reedbed; a green sandpiper flew over the reedbed, 3 snipe flew over Phase 2, a redshank was on Phase 3 and a few lapwings were commuting between fields either side of the River Trent. Two grey wagtails flew up from the water's edge and a kingfisher sat in a willow bush beside a channel on Phase 3, adding a bright dash of colour to a white and brown landscape. The hedges held flocks of fieldfares and redwings, four bullfinches and a flock of about 40 yellowhammers in the southern section. There was a busy flock of long-tailed tits in the wood accompanied by a treecreeper; a great spotted woodpecker and goldcrest only revealed themselves by their calls. On joining the cycle track off Cottage Lane, Collingham, a little owl sat in an old willow pollard to greet me on my walk and it bade me farewell as I left, its yellow irises glowing in the setting sun - a fitting end to a glorious afternoon.