Migrants in the snow

It doesn't seem to have stopped snowing since Friday night and the potential for hazardous driving conditions was too much for Dave, so I was birding alone today. I parked at Oldberrow church as I wasn't sure how bad the small roads would be. Not too bad as it turned out.

I reached the gate overlooking the big pasture field just past Church Farm. The bedraggled sheep and lambs were baaing at me imploringly, and their hooves had churned up quite a muddy corner. Around them crawled lots of small birds taking advantage of the only part of the field which was snow-free and sheltered from the persistent north-easterly. I counted 30 Meadow Pipits, 40 Redwings, and smaller numbers of Fieldfares, Starlings, Robins, Blackbirds, and Song Thrushes, plus a solitary Skylark. The Meadow Pipits were particularly encouraging as I had only managed a single sighting throughout January and February. Clearly they were migrants.

The snow in the fields was about two inches deep, but I soon reached the main pool where, at long last, I claimed a year tick in the form of a pair of Tufted Ducks. Not too unexpected but they broke the log jam. Also on the pool were a pair of Gadwalls, several Teal, eight Coots, three Mute Swans including an immature, and plenty of Mallards, Canada Geese and Greylags. A dozen Common Snipe took off as I walked past. On Monday Mike Inskip had reported 60, presumably from the marsh, but I chose to leave them in peace today.

The Flashes contained another Gadwall and 54 Teal plus four Lapwings, six Snipe, six Meadow Pipits, and a pair of Little Ringed Plovers. These summer visitors were feeding in the marshy bit which the snow couldn't touch. Another year-tick, and although I generally find them in March, I wasn't at all optimistic today. Then, scanning the far flash I found more waders, two Green Sandpipers and a Dunlin. This winter plumaged individual was the bird of the day as I record the species annually but infrequently here.

Dunlin

I am still waiting for any other species of calidrid to get onto the Morton Bagot list, but the Dunlin was a very welcome find. I continued to Netherstead, but saw nothing better than three Herring Gulls going north, and a Goldcrest in the hedge by the road.

The walk back to the car into driving snow and the bitingly cold north-easterly wind was pretty tough.