Turdus pilaris

Another brisk walk on the local patch this morning and I noticed a huge flock of Fieldfare (300+) they were obviously very hungry and were also very vocal.Nothing else except for the usual robin,wren,great tits and blue tits although all the blue tits I came across were all feeding on the floor.

Moved onto Aughton and had a look around the church could see lots of teal and wigeon across the ings but not much else so decided to have a look around Bubwith bridge one of the huge Aughton buzzards was seen roosting in the top of a roadside tree it flew off as soon as I stopped the car.
Nothing like as many birds as yesterday but there were a lot more walkers out today as the flood water is dropping fast, more on that later.
Good size flocks of lapwing and yet more fieldfare and redwing still plenty of snipe around and 6-8 redshank.
Reed buntings were numerous (8-10) as were chaffinch and the local sparrow population is still looking healthy.Several collared dove were flying around and a constant stream of incoming gulls were seen

popped into the GS hide and thankfully I was greeted by my regular barn owl pheasants and partridge running around in the fields, plenty of crows rooks and jackdaws hanging around.

Shortly after getting settled in an empty hide all the visible teal and wigeon on the river were seriously spooked by something, I followed the flock and observed a single Marsh harrier gliding down the river.

I was then joined by three other birders and within 5 minutes one of them had picked out the male scaup dozing off on the icy water loads of pochard and 100+ tufted duck were seen.Pintails looking good in the fading light lots of whoopers near the still flooded garganey hide but numbers were well down on yesterday.

Garganey hide!!!!

decided to risk a walk to the gargeney hide to see what the floods had done.................

Think this will take some drying out!!!!

more redshank and snipe flying over and a huge flock of starlings, walking back to the GS hide I had chaffinch, great tit,blue tit robin and a very busy goldcrest.

Every cloud has a silver lining.........

5 degrees C  raining and overcast but at least the light is better than yesterday.Birds don't go in when it's wet so I thought what the hell get out in the wet air!

Having read Awbirders blog (Thrushes) was greeted at the GS hide by a superb mistle thrush (don't see enough of these birds here) then into the hide still stacks of H2O but it has dropped a good 10 inches or so. Loads of teal and wigeon as usual mallard Canada geese and grey lags all birds covering up in the driving rain.

Decreasing water levels have now exposed the very top of the laughingly called flood defence's so it is an ideal perch for passing waders,over 500 lapwings about and many standing to attention on the narrow grass strip, several ruff were also noted in with them and at one point up to (16) redshank pleasing as they have been noticeable by their absence of late.Pochard (8) and goldeneye's (6) showed well pintail (4) were stunning especially the male superb bird!

A single shelduck flew through at break neck speed thought it was being pursued by a raptor but alas not.At this point I was joined in the hide by a fellow local birder and ruff  (6) were observed in with the lapwings. Black headed gulls shattering the peace as usual and at this point several long tailed tits were observed outside the hide,

Then for some reason we started to have our attention drawn to the surrounding shrubs and bushes a moorehen plopped into the swollen water and blue tits and wrens were noted, at this point a great tit began to make the sort of song you normally associate with the early part of the year (very odd!) Blackbirds were very agitated and at this point a barn owl flew majestically pasT the hide. Starling's and fieldfare were perched in the distant poplars and at this point my fellow birder noticed a treecreeper working its way up the tree next to the hide (this is a rare bird for here!!!)

Two robins were having a sing off  within ten feet of the hide and the great tit was back in full song

THEN!!!!!

in with the Long tailed tits there was a distinctive but somehow different call I looked up and was amazed to see this little bird working it's way towards me got the bins on it and nearly had a heart attack (this is where it gets tricky)  classic orange streak on crown, and what looked like an eye stripe two options firecrest or goldcrest!!! one fantastic (for here) one MEGA!!!! on reflection my head says goldcrest but I so hope that anybody out there tomorrow will prove me wrong. (please!!)

What a day!!!!