Harrier Count

A late start this morning at a bitterly cold point. Still plenty of  Razorbills, Guillemots, Great Crested Grebes,and Red Throated Divers tooing and froing off shore with small numbers of Gannets and Kittiwakes. A few Common Scoter, Wigeon and Shoveller moved east along with 300+ Brent Geese and a Single Red Breasted Merganser, a single drake Eider flew west.

On the ARC a Great White Egret, 2 red head Smew and 6+ Goldeneye among the very much depleted numbers of common wildfowl. In the Willow Trail a Cetti's Warbler tacking and a Water Rail squealing, the Tit flock held a Firecrest , Chiffchaff and 3 Goldcrests.

The track to The Pines found another Firecrest and Chiffchaff with 2 Marsh Harriers over. 

A freezing Walland Marsh this afternoon

Scotney wildfowl numbers were also much depleted from last weeks 1000s. The Red Crested Pochard roosting at the Sussex end and a male Marsh Harrier were the only notable birds seen.
On Walland 74 Bewick Swans in the potato field but no sign of the Whoopers.
The reed bed I was watching had a single male Marsh Harrier roost, the smart male Hen Harrier flew over and returned a few minutes later dropping in to the reed bed in front of me, a few seconds later it came out and flew into a nearby roost. While waiting for the Harriers 2 Common Buzzards flew over along with a few Fieldfare, Snipe, Golden Plover and Lapwing, but once again nothing like last weeks numbers.