Insomnia forced me from my bed at an ungodly hour and I was immediately aware of an eerie stillness without. Leaping forth with uncommon enthusiasm a peep through the curtains revealed a carpet of white and - unusually for Weymouth - it was a veritable pure wool shag pile of white rather than a tatty threadbare rug that our dustings mostly resemble. This was in some way compensation for being awake at 4.30 am and the prospect of the birds that such harsh weather further north and east would bring made the wait for sunrise all the more tantalizing.
I will allow Will and Luke’s following blog to inform you of the tremendous bird day we experienced on Radipole today - but smew, 5 woodlark, male goosander and brilliant views of bittern in a single 5 minute stroll gives you some idea of what was witnessed... and that was just the tip of the iceberg!