With most of the family commitments and a very persistent cold behind me I decided to venture on to the marshes. The brisk walk to the Turf along the railway path revealed at least one stonechat and 8 grey geese that I presumed were greylags but were very difficult to see. At Turf 21 dunlin fed on the remaining mud (it was almost high tide) and a single kingfisher was on the river.
There were about 500 brent geese on the fields. I could not see any other geese with them. A few ducks on the lagoon all appeared to be gadwall. There were an additional 4 greylags on the bank. More brent geese flew in from the estuary but still I was unable to see any other geese accompanying them. Elsewhere on the marshes were lots of lapwings, curlew, shoveller, teal and a few tufted ducks.
A female sparrowhawk seemed interested in the blackbirds near Turf. The only other raptor I saw was a kestrel near the main road. With deference to Gavin's posting I won't mention anything to do with long winged owls.
Happy New Year to all.
