Woodpigs in the snow, Firecrest dip and a field full of Snipe.

                                       Shelf Moor Snipe

  Orrible pics in fading light and distant but gives you an idea of numbers
                              when enlarged

      Woodpigeons on the move again this a.m.

Another bright morning with good numbers of Woodpigs heading >S but not the same volume as yesterday although several flocks of 100+ so probably clocked around 600 to and at work.
Several smaller flocks came over mid morning despite the first snow of the winter which soon turned to sleet then rain.
A check of Ogden for the Firecrest at 1500hrs was a real let down with no tit flocks and not a single Goldcrest so it was back to the Shelf Moor trailer field to check the Lapwing flock which was spread over 2 fields with again over 200 birds, 100+ Starling and 12 BHgulls but no sign of Golden Plover.
After a good bit of bin scanning and the light almost failed I clocked a brown speckled back in the top corner of the field which I thought was a Goldie till it turned to reveal a Snipe. With a closer scan I found another , then another ,then a group under the wall before another group flew from the next field to join them totalling 23 in all.
Managed a few record shots in the last bit of light but the distance was too great for anything distant, maybe tomorrow with sun on their backs.
Strangely, looking back there were 23 in February in the same field.
BS