Crests And A Chiff

I saved my walk until pm today, not that it made the weather any better as here in the bleak North West as we enjoyed our fifth day of 100% cloud cover. The usual Lane Ends to Pilling Water trek came up with 20+ Meadow Pipits, 3 Little Egret, 2 Goldeneye, 2 Little Grebe, 1 Pied Wagtail, 2 Kestrel and 2 Jays. The inevitable green duo Green Sandpiper and Greenshank graced the wildfowler’s pools with a couple of Teal still hanging on in there.

Fluke Hall was a little more rewarding than of late with a gang of 8 Goldcrest moving through the trees and a single Chiffchaff giving snatches of song. When I got home and looked on the Internet there seems to have been a mass fall of Goldcrests in the Fylde and elsewhere this morning, with possibly hundreds if not thousands of birds arriving from somewhere.

Goldcrest
Chiffchaff

I checked the sea wall at all the likely spots but still no sign of Wheatears. More grounded Meadow Pipits at Ridge Farm, circa 18 birds mixing it in the wet field with approximately 25 Linnets and the now resident 4 Reed Buntings.

Reed Bunting