Decided to take a trip to Caerlaverock WWT on Sat. Surprisingly just under two hours away from Gunnerside. Like everywhere there was a bitter SE wind blowing all day but we still managed to find a pretty good range of birds. The highlight of the day being a merlin at very close quarters (see very poor photo taken with my snippy snappy compact). We were sitting in a hide when a wren started to alarm call very frantically, we looked to the left and there barely 5 metres away was a merlin trying to chase the wren through the brambles. I've seen them trying to mipits and the like in flight, but this seemed unusual behaviour and quite frankly pretty futile as well! Other raptors included good views of hunting peregrine and sparrowhawk. Wildfowl of course were there in big numbers, about 10,000 barnacle geese, many canada (apparently 1 cackling but i'll be jiggered if i can tell it apart) several hundred whoopers and mutes and good array of ducks. There also seemed to be a very healthy population sparrows and buntings and it was great to see a flock of 22+ yellowhammers. Waders were a bit thin on the ground but we did pick up 4/5 black tailed godwits, a few snipe and plenty of redshanks. After spending 4 hours at the reserve we headed back the scenic route along the coast hoping to pick up some other geese and waders. In terms of geese the best on offer was a lonesome pink foot in a field close to the reserve but at Cummertrees, in a rather rough sea, we got some great views of a scaup, which made up for a rather unsatisfactory sighting a few weeks ago in Northumberland. Finally, on the way back we managed to pick up a group of 7 male black grouse on the way down from Tan Hill to Keld. They should soon be leking, if not now, and I must make an effort to get up early and try and watch that.

Sunday, back at Gunnerside we did a 8/9 mile walk up dale, via Oxnop Gill, across Crow Trees and on past Muker to Thwaite, all the time keeping to the southern side of the valley. To be quite honest it was so cold and windy that no decerning bird would be seen dead out, so our sightings were pretty minimal, plenty of jackdaws, a pair of nuthatches and alonesome kestrel, after that I think I gave up!! The final bird of the day was a fine male goosander at Rowleth as I drove past on my way back to Leeds.

Finally, I know I bill this as a Gunnerside site, however I just have to record my fab sighting of this afternoon in Leeds. Like many others today I left work early to avoid the worst of the snow (which as I type is shovelling it down at the moment). At 4pm I was reading the latest paper on Adult Care Services Inspection, when out of the corner of my eye I saw a flock of birds fly up just beyond the bottom of the garden. Starlings I thought, but something made me get my bins and check them out. Starlings my ****, 150 plus waxwing!!!! I quickly threw a jacket on and legged it to the tree they were all sitting in. The pity was that it was snowing and poor visibility for any photos. Well chuffed I wandered back home for a warming brew, but as i was putting the key in the door I heard the tell tail chattering of the waxwing, this time at the bottom of my garden, I think 150 of them well and truely makes that a bird in the garden tick!!!!