Maybe not, but we are pleased to welcome back a single female-type smew, known as a redhead. This small, fish-eating, diving duck is an increasingly scarce winter visitor to the UK, as milder winter mean that they choose to stay in Denmark or the Netherlands, rather than continuing eastwards. It's arrival coincided with the first notable frosts of the winter, which resulted in large parts of the Scrape and Island Mere freezing over for a couple of days this week.
Drake smew are gorgeous white ducks with delicate grey and black markings, while the grey females are equally attractive in their own way, with white cheeks and a chestnut cap - hence the term redhead. Young birds look identical to the females in the early part of the winter, with males gradually moulting into their adult plumage from late winter, hence the term redhead refers to either a female or young bird.
Redhead smew are usually more frequent in the UK than the drakes, and it's a redhead that has returned this year. First found on Monday, she is favouring the two small freshwater pools that can be viewed from the mound beside the pond, or from the back righthand corner of North Hide. These pools have become popularly known as the smew pools, as they have typically been the best place to see these ducks in recent years. During the freeze she relocated to South Scrape, but she's back on the usual pools this morning.
When the Scrape froze on Tuesday, hundreds of ducks congregated on South Scrape, where it proved tricky to spot the smew among the hordes. The green-winged teal was briefly seen there, too, but hasn't been relocated since. We suspect it may have relocated to the South Levels, along with many of the teal.
One benefit of the ice was that it brought many of the ducks close to the hide. Coupled with the amazing light, this created some excellent photo opportunities, and I took full advantage.
Drake shoveler (above) and female (below) - note that enormous flattened bill
Drake wigeon, with the creamy-yellow forehead and blueish bill clearly visible
It wasn't just ducks, though, as this enormous great black-backed gull took a rest in the sun. The wigeon and shovelers in the photo show just how huge it is.
Other birds to look out for on the Scrape include a few avocets, black-tailed godwits, dunlins and turnstones, as well as little egret. There are still a few goosanders coming to roost, too, and they can sometimes be seen during the day.
Whilst walking around the Coast Trail, you might also spot Dartford warbler or stonechat in the dunes, and don't forget to check the sea. We've seen several grey seals offshore over the last week or so, and there should be cormorants, red-throated divers and great crested grebes present, though you might need a telescope and patience to spot them.
Visitors have also been treated to some close views of birds at Island Mere, too, where the seven whooper swans can often be found resting just a few metres from the hide, as was the case when I visited yesterday.
Long necks help them to reach those trickier spots to keep the feathers looking pristine.
The youngsters were busy tidying themselves up, too - perhaps our kids could take the hint!
Whilst I was watching the swans, this unusually showy snipe wandered into the open and probed for a meal in the shallow water.
Island Mere has been a good place to see bearded tits and otters, and to hear squealing water rails or singing Cetti's warblers. There have also been sightings of kingfishers both here and at Bittern Hide.
A visit to Bittern hide in late afternoon is highly recommended at the moment, in order to watch the marsh harrier roost. A reserve record count of 36 marsh harriers were seen coming to roost over the weekend, with 20+ present on most evenings. There have been reports of merlins (a very elusive small falcon) on a few evenings this week and the barn owl is often seen hunting from here as the sun begins to set. You can see some superb photos of this owl in Whistling Joe's Forum post.
Marsh harriers by Steve Everett
Don't forget to pause for a few minutes in the woods and listen. Robins, chaffinches and several tit species are now in full song, and it won't be long before the great spotted woodpeckers start drumming. A flock of siskins and goldfinches can often be found feeding on alder seeds between South Belt Crossroads and Whin Hill, and it's also a good time of year to see treecreepers and bullfinches.
Please note, though, that the Woodland Trail, north of the entrance road, including Canopy Hide, will be closed for several weeks from Monday whilst our contractors undertake some vital tree thinning. By removing selected trees from this area we will create the perfect conditions for a variety of flowers and insects to thrive in the resultant glades and rides. Please check at reception for the latest news.
Finally, don't forget that it's Big Garden Birdwatch this weekend. Please try to find one hour on either Saturday, Sunday or Monday, to sit and count your garden birds, then submit the results to our website. Your results will contribute to this important, long-running citizen science project that helps us to track changes in garden bird populations. Even if most of your garden birds desert you (as often happens), your results will be important.