Winter Birds

Lade - 0930hrs - cold, dry, sunny, nw2 - Another cracking winters day with bright sunshine and just a hint of frost. First stop the local patch where the Black-throated Diver showed well on north pit, as did a Great White Egret on south pit. All the usual wildfowl noted, including 8 Goldeneye, plus 3 Marsh Harriers, 2 Water Rails and 100 Curlews over off the bay.
Littlestone - The 2 Snow Buntings were on the foreshore in front of the lifeboat station and as it was high tide a decent crop of waders roosted along the tideline including 12 Redshanks and a scattering of Sanderlings, Dunlins, Grey Plovers and Turnstones. 

                                          Black-throated Diver, Lade

                                          Snow Buntings, Littlestone

                                          Great White Egret, Lade

Scotney - Apart from a couple of thousand Wigeon on the grass and the feral goose flock, there wasn't much else of note here; definitely seems to have been something of a clear out of wildfowl. 
Walland Marsh - Pretty quiet across the Marsh too with just the swan flock of note near Hawthorn Corner comprising 1 Black, 2 Whoopers and 225 Bewick`s. A few Fieldfares around the lanes, singles of Buzzard and Greater pecker, plus the usual sparrows and finches on the feeders.
RSPB - From Springfield Bridge had cracking views of 2 Beardies feeding on the edge of the reedbed (where 2 Penduline Tits were reported an hour later!). As you will see from the pic below the water level on the lake is so high that the hayfield is under water, which attracted 3 Ringed Plovers and 15 Curlews, plus 2 Stonechats on the fence. Elsewhere around the reserve 7 Barnacle Geese and 2 Great Whites from Boulderwall, 12 Smew on New Diggings and the usual array of Marsh Harriers.

                                                   Hayfield from Springfield Bridge