Priorslee - Scaup

Well, the drake Scaup has been around long enough! Never close enough for me or in the gloom..... Today, courtesy of a hole in the ice,  I had it quite close :-) in the gloom :-(

Not sure it's worth any more! We shall see?

Meole Village - Waxwings!

I'd always suspected I'd bump into some in time .... Never thought it would be driving back and within 100m of home though, just off Washford Road! Three Waxies caused an emergency stop and lightning dash to get my camera!

As you can see, they were still there when I went back but not for long and despite catching distant views them in two other locations across the estate, they were certainly not settled!

I might have spent more time but got a compelling text from Horsehay.....

Horsehay - 1st Winter Caspian Gull

I was planning to have a much needed day on the PC with talks and image sorting but I had a rather compelling text from Roger Clay at Horsehay. The elusive (for me anyway!!) 1st Winter Caspian Gull.

Problem was - 25 mins drive - would it stay? Agonisingly as I arrived - it had flown :-( Only to reappear a short while later :-)

I hadn't got my converter on so lost a bit of reach here (but I wasn't going to risk missing the shots!!)

It flew off obscured by the rest of the flock and wasn't seen again until...... It briefly dropped in mid -afternoon! A very quick landing it was  too!

Before flying off almost immediately!

Polemere - White fronts!!

Saving the best until last. I couldn't have dreamt that the Teal would be upstaged but unbelievably... it was!! My serious 'Shropshire' bogey goose was about to get cooked - not just by one but two little stunners :-)

Yes, County tick and Tunnock's teacake down the hatch after I'd decided to scan the Geese in the field adjacent to the horse paddock. First one.... then another, smaller Grey Goose with distinctive barring on the belly, eventually heads popping up and yesssss - White fronts!

Many more to sort but here's a couple to be going on with.....

Eventually they flew the short distance down to the water....

Plus a bit of foraging in the snow....

What a seriously good day!

Polemere - Fieldfare

Quite a few Fieldfare were present in the fields and with the only stretch of snow-free grass down by the waters edge, one was tempted to come closer!

There might be more.......

Polemere - Redshank in the snow

A Redshank was showing particularly well too (when it wasn't hidden by the hedge!)

Underlit quite nicely from the snow.

Not an everyday sight!

Again, there's more.... these conditions don't occur very often but are worth every minute spent out in them!

Polemere - GWT not skulking!

Quite a session at Polemere today, it's rare for me to stay more than 20 mins and I ended up there for five hours! It will probably take 5 days to go through all the images and I'm up to me eyes with talks and other things but keep looking back.... there are plenty more images to come!

The skulker decided to skulk no more - maybe due to the fox having a nap near it's usual haunt :-)

Now that's what I call not skulking !

Full story to come.....