Monday 4th January

Took advantage in a break in the weather to make a morning trip to Mersehead RSPB Reserve, taking care to make sure I had the wellies with me.

Tree Sparrows and Greenfinch

A quick trip to the Visitor Centre showed a lot of action on the large feeder directly in front of the main window. I very quicly noticed a large number of greenfinches and, amongst the tits and chaffinches, about four or five tree sparrows who kept coming back repeatedly. I have seen them at Mersehead before but otherwise associate them more with Annandale and Cumbria.

The wellie boots were definitely necessary as the path to Bruaich Hide was well flooded.  Having passed a rambling roe deer and some of the 7,000 barnacle Geese present, there were pintail ducks, shovelers, teal and widgeon on the water. Another young roe deer showed up on the far side under the trees. I was a bit surprised not to see any whooper swans, having seen them last week. Meida Hide was less rewarding.  Apart from a decent close-up of a teal, most other ducks were at a distance. The typology of this area seems to have altered and the water levels appeared uneven.

After that there wasn't much to see on the beech.  On the merse there was just one hare running wildly around, as if in pursuit of a lost tortoise, a rabbit and a wren in the dunes.