It's been a sunny but very cold Christmas Eve here at Strathbeg (despite the forecast of mild temperatures, there's been a bitterly cold wind blowing over the marsh). Not a lot to do today but go for the final pre-Christmas check on the ponies (all eight of them still fine, and looking well), and make sure that the electrice fences at both sides of the their compartment are still working properly. I had some superb views of a Hen Harrier hunting over the reeds as I walked out as well, which was a fantastic way to start the day.
The cold wind does seem to have bought a few nice birds closer in to the centre with three curlew, and seven dunlin on the pools. There's also a good selection of ducks- shelduck, goldeneye and two very smart red-breasted merganser were all outside the centre this morning and there was a flock of around 100 Barnacle Geese on the fields, joining around 150 Greylag that were on the pools this morning. Hopefully most of the geese will manage to avoid our now regular fox, who's been seen for the last three days. Yesterday it spent a very entertaining twenty minutes hunting mice and voles in the grass by the Tower Pool Path, but I'm sure it would be quite happy to have a nice goose for Christmas dinner!
Just a reminder that the visitor centre will be closed tomorrow and Boxing Day and then open as usual right through New Year.
Happy Christmas from everyone at Strathbeg.
Merry Christmas Diana! Have fun, and see you after your holidays!