Monday 23 January 2012

Quiet Day On The Patch

Sunday morning and off to Big Waters for a wander round with Alan J and Ian D but the wind and rain conspired to put us in the hides but even then it got a bit wet and windy inside.  The pond had the usual collection of stuff although the numbers were a bit up on the last couple of visits.  Plenty of Goldeneye with the highest count reaching 13, the 2 Whooper Swans were still around, 3 Tufted Ducks stuck together like glue and more than half a dozen Cormorants managed to stick around in the wind.  We wandered up to the main hide inbetween squalls and found that the water by the hide was still frozen with a few Mallards standing or sitting on it.  Good look round but nothing much around and despite Alan's promise not to move from the Feeding Station windows until he had spotted a Brambling, nothing flitted into view and no new species for the year made their way onto my list.  Didn't take many pics but heres a couple I did.


Nice sunrise at St Marys but the wind was bloody awful and only stayed out of the car for 15 mins


12 of the 13 Goldeneye sticking in a tight group


The 2 Whooper Swans with their heads up for change


Why Mallards like to stand on ice beats me


Barnacles arriving with the Greylags.


Ducks gathering in the North East corner to avoid the wind and 
the 2 Otters that were patrolling the fringes.

Just another quiet day in that little jewel on the edge of Tyne and Wear

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