Unbelievable that 2 days could be so different with yesterdays rain and today with cloudless skies and sunshine throughout on a cold NW>4 at only 4 degrees with a heavy ground frost.
Pink Footed Geese were moving well making it look like a mega Pinkie move to come but this fizzled out mid morning with no more skeins throughout the day.
Skies were otherwise quiet, as they usually are in blue, clear conditions, with just a few Mipits and Swallows heading south whilst 3 Common gulls >W was unusual for this site. This afternoon I managed to get on the west bank with no work going on over there so it was good to be able to walk the full length of the banking even though there was very little about. Two Buzzards were very high and >SW above the western ridge and 8 Tufted were back on the water as well as 3 Wheatear on the banking.
The last 30 minutes were spent by the car sky watching with nothing showing so I started to tackle up ready to knock off for another day. A last scan over the water found what I thought was one of the 3 Canadas present but not just looking right so an unload of the scope and tripod to reveille a juv Mute Swan that had just dropped in un noticed.
Dogs and tackle back out of the car and a dash along the east bank to get opposite the bird which had settled way across in the NW corner where I had been stood 30 minutes ago. Very distant shots across the water .
Vis Mig
117 Pink Footed Goose....................117. 3 skeins of 18, 46, 53 >S and >SE
47 Mipits...................................>S
21 Swallow..............................>S
3 Common gull........................>W
2 Buzzard................................>SW
Present
8 Tufted duck
3 Canadas
1 Peregrine
3 Wheatear
1 Mute Swan, juv.
BS