Storm Brendon

Lade - mild, wet and windy, SW 6 - The past couple of days have pretty much a write off for birding as Storm Brendon trundled across the country bringing gale force winds through yesterday afternoon and during the night. The few wildfowl still on the lakes were hiding amongst the willow swamp for shelter or hunkered down in the lee of the south-westerly.
  Today a guided walk for RSPB this morning was a truncated affair due to heavy rain as we stuck to the hides around Burrowes. The expected ducks, Cormorants and gulls were present along with four redhead Goldeneyes, while two Chiffchaffs showed well in a mixed passerine flock in the bankside scrub. The fields at Boulderwall held plenty of Wigeon, Lapwing, Curlews and the like and the drake Smew was reported from Hooker`s. Five Long-tailed Ducks remained on Scotney roadside pits.

                               Chiffchaff and Robin from Makepeace hide