Tuesday 4th
A Reed Bunting in the garden together with several Lesser Redpolls. News of some more Waxwings in Darwen was cue for Bernie and I to head over that way - found them without too much bother - at least 70 birds all trilling away before descending en-masse onto a nearby ornamental cotoneaster that was full of white berries. Even the resident Mistle Thrush and Blackbirds couldn't put them off.
Monday 3rd
Having spent all day yesterday on Scout Moor and adding just Reed Bunting and Little Owl to my year list, I decided that I'd take my now customary early January visit to Conder Green and the Pilling area.
I got to Conder Green just as the tide was falling. Lots of birds here and on the estuary - Plenty of Teal, Wigeon and Shelduck along with good numbers of Goldeneye and a couple of Red-breasted Mergansers. Waders included a Greenshank and Grey Plover whilst a Merlin quartered the foreshore. There were a few flocks of Pinkfeet in the area as well as a lot of lethargic looking Mute Swans. Little Grebes amassed in the river mouth as all their regular haunts are still completely frozen over.
From here it was off to Pilling Lane Ends to eat my butties in the company of a few Little Egrets, another Merlin and a Peregrine and then down to the feeding stations at Eagland Hill where there were just four Yellowhammers and two Corn Buntings, 20 or so Tree Sparrows and a good number of Chaffinches. Another Peregrine livened up proceedings as did an ermine Stoat as it dashed along a ditch.
A Reed Bunting in the garden together with several Lesser Redpolls. News of some more Waxwings in Darwen was cue for Bernie and I to head over that way - found them without too much bother - at least 70 birds all trilling away before descending en-masse onto a nearby ornamental cotoneaster that was full of white berries. Even the resident Mistle Thrush and Blackbirds couldn't put them off.
Monday 3rd
Having spent all day yesterday on Scout Moor and adding just Reed Bunting and Little Owl to my year list, I decided that I'd take my now customary early January visit to Conder Green and the Pilling area.
I got to Conder Green just as the tide was falling. Lots of birds here and on the estuary - Plenty of Teal, Wigeon and Shelduck along with good numbers of Goldeneye and a couple of Red-breasted Mergansers. Waders included a Greenshank and Grey Plover whilst a Merlin quartered the foreshore. There were a few flocks of Pinkfeet in the area as well as a lot of lethargic looking Mute Swans. Little Grebes amassed in the river mouth as all their regular haunts are still completely frozen over.
From here it was off to Pilling Lane Ends to eat my butties in the company of a few Little Egrets, another Merlin and a Peregrine and then down to the feeding stations at Eagland Hill where there were just four Yellowhammers and two Corn Buntings, 20 or so Tree Sparrows and a good number of Chaffinches. Another Peregrine livened up proceedings as did an ermine Stoat as it dashed along a ditch.
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