Rye Meads or the hunt for Bearded Tits

I don't normally head anywhere on a Saturday and on a cloud Saturday ..... but some Bearded Tits had been seen at Rye Meads so....

Instead of setting off straight to the favoured spot I stopped in the first hide

Not often you see Pheasants in a bush!

The water levels are still high so just ducks. If these Pochards would be kind enough to fly to one of my ponds ;)

So I wandered to the steps to the Gadwall/Tern hides and looked back across the read beds and in the far distance there were bearded tits... no photos naturally but nice to see them there.

I saw a Muntjac at the Kingfisher hide and again later on the trail.

This one was much later but I think this is the other end of where I saw the previous one. You have to turn around whereas the Muntjac doesn't ;)

Lousy light but a successful visit :)

Shivering at Wimpole

I went for a wander to Wimpole today. Not only was it flipping cold and misty but the walled garden was closed for maintenance! 

Well first stop coffee and a scone.

The frost was much more severe than at home

A few hints of spring! 

The snowdrops are thinking about it! I might revise my plans for snowdrop hunting until next week

Chilly walks

Well it turned cold again! 

I've been out without the camera again. Posy squirrel! there are lots about this winter!

Hard to believe that in 3 months the Reed Warblers will be calling from here

This is the Coalport pond you can see the line where the pond had been thawing to. Yesterday it was unthawed to that point at 9:30 and this was just before lunch! By 2pm there was some water free. The mallards show up as people feed them! 

strolling strolling strolling

I thought it was meant to be milder but it seems it was colder as there was a sharper frost and the  New Hall pond was frozen this morning! Anyhow off I strolled.

When I passed the Coalport pond on my way out it was duck less but this lot flew in. 

They did a decent job landing on the nice.

Finally one of my local squirrels posed! 

The Coalport pond had slightly defrosted this afternoon (as you can see in the background).

As I walked back an elderly couple had arrived and started feeding them. As they tried to run on the ice they kept slipping which was a little comical :)