With temperatures set to stay below freezing for some time to come, it might seem a good idea to sit it out indoors. But if you wrap up warm and venture outside, the icy weather may bring some surprises.
The big freeze makes life difficult for many waterbirds. Bad news for them, but it can bring us special opportunities to see birds that are normally rather reclusive!
My top tip for this weekend is to go for a walk by some water. It could be your local park, a lake, one of our nature reserves, a canal, river or stream, or even just a ditch...
Meet the water rail:
It's a relative of our more familiar moorhen and coot, but water rails are much, much harder to see. They're birds that like to lurk, usually deep in reeds or other waterside plants. You might hear their high-pitched calls - water rails are often described as sounding like squealing pigs!
But when ice sets in, they are often forced out into the open to feed. Even a reed-fringed ditch or channel might be home to a water rail.
So watch out for a funny-looking bird with a long, red beak and a white bottom this weekend, and let us know how you get on...
I've never seen a water rail but I'm always on the lookout. I'd love to see one and hopefully catch a photo. We spent a lot of time down at Blashford Lakes last year and saw so many things, but not a water rail. I'll keep looking! This is a great photo by the way!