Wigeon, Goosander & Skylark

Lade - 0800hrs - Cold, sunny, n 1 - A stunning morning with a light frost and bright sunshine, added to which the frozen shingle made for easy walking; and oh! for a dry shod walk after yesterday. Spectacle of the session went to a large flock of some 500 Wigeons coming in off the bay, before separating out with half landing on south pit and the remainder heading back east. Infact, the pits were covered in over a thousand ducks of all common species, plus 8 Goldeneye and a single `redhead` Goosander, my first of the year. Several Water Rails were noted along the margin while a tit flock in the willows contained a Chiffchaff. Raptors were much in evidence with 3 Marsh Harriers hunting behind the `mirrors` and singles of Buzzard, Sparrowhawk and Kestrel. On the walk back 2 Fieldfares and a Siskin flew over, while Barney flushed my first Skylark of 2013 off the storm beaches.