Today was a day of monitoring so most of my time was spent out on the reserve made all the better by the fantastic weather - cold but calm and an awesome light.
The morning was spent on a lagoon count and although all the fresh water was still frozen there was a nice group of wildfowl feeding in a small open area right in front of the hide. All of the diving ducks had cleared off but the mandarin was still about. A siskin in the alders was the first of 6 yearticks of the day.
The end of the day was taken up by the first harrier roost count of the new year. I was covering the Gypsy Lane area and it started well with a male hen appearing almost as soon as I arrived. Unfortunatly the appearance was only brief and it headed back east. While it was over the saltmarsh it flushed a small flock of passerines which looked dark but were too far away to ID. I was further up the path to check them and eventually could hear the calling - twite. After a short while they flushed again and there was at least 35. Bearded tit activity in the tidal reedbed was good and a jay was added to the list.
The evenings are already drawing out and it was still possible to check through the greylag flock that few overhead at 4:45!! Awesome red sunset too.
This is a shot of a juv herring gull I took a couple of weekends ago at Brancaster Harbour. It was digi-scoped out of the car window only resting on a beanbag. I have edited it through Photoshop but I think it has come out pretty well.
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