New Year's Eve Nothingness

Before I tell you how awful the birding was this morning and how I saw very little I just wanted to rewind to yesterday. Gail and I spent the day walking in the Silverdale area from Yealand Storrs - Cringlebarrow Woods - Leighton Hall - Leighton Moss - Trowbarrow Local Nature Reserve - Yealand Hall Allotment - Yealand Storrs.

 Overlooking Leighton Hall and the Moss

It was a pleasant day, dry and cold, with some sunny intervals. We didn't see a great deal but it was nice to catch up with birds that are scarce in the Fylde such as Bullfinch, Marsh Tit and Green Woodpecker. Walking along the causeway at Leighton Moss we had several calling Water Rails and then a Bittern showed well as it flew over the causeway and dropped into the fields at the far side of one of the meres. So all in all a pleasant day out.

This morning I headed to the Point to have a look on the sea as high tide was 0745, so I knew it would still be in at first decent birding light at about 0830. The wind was a biting SSE and I had five oktas cloud cover. Ian and I found some shelter in front of the tower and we spent the next hour and a half seeing very little. In fact I'm not sure how we managed to last that long, it must be the birders eternal optimism! All the sea gave up for us was seven Eiders, a Red-breasted Merganser, two Common Scoters and an Auk sp.

The Shore Lark showed very briefly as it flew east along the beach in front of us. We had heard it calling earlier behind us and then to the west of us. The poor bugger has been 'kicked' around so much by birders over the past month that it is now very wary and flighty.

I then made a quick visit to my feeding station to feed the expectant 63 Tree Sparrows that were there. I didn't have a lot else on my flying visit other than a Kestrel, Buzzard, Mistle Thrush and Great Spotted Woodpecker.

The forecast for tomorrow is a touch grim with wet and windy weather for most of the day, but if there's an opportunity to get out I'll take it.

I'd like to wish you all a Happy and bird filled New Year, although technically it is the new year already as it started with the return of the sun on the 21st December!