Winter and Welney
It's already proving to be a hard winter even though winter doesn't officially start until Tuesday! A couple of weeks ago we had the first hoar frost I can remember in a long time. I snuck out of the house for a ten minute lunch break on the day as I couldn't resist the opportunity that the frost and the clear blue skies had presented. Oh for a few hours to play with!
As well as enjoying the hoar frost we've been digging a new flower and vegetable border in an area of the lawn. Unfortunately, freezing weather coupled with all the builders' rubble one-inch below the surface, is making it very slow going. 
A close-up to see the bill pattern:
A juvenile enjoying it's first winter at Welney:
Another regular winter visitor is the Common Pochard, this drake was fast asleep outside the window, waiting no doubt for the noon feed due a couple of hours hence:
As well as the Whooper and Mute swans that were in front of the main hide, two remote Bewick's were visible on a distant patch of free water. A closer but still reasonably distant bird, and the second we've ever seen, was this Tundra Bean Goose:
The sun, just two days from its lowest point, was remarkably weak, really struggling to penetrate even thin cloud, hence the temperature not rising above -5c while we were at Welney.
Before a warming cup of tea at the visitor centre and our drive to Peterborough for lunch, we enjoyed watching Meadow Pipits scurrying and sliding around on the ice:
We were lucky the snow hadn't trapped us in nor indeed affected our weekend plans. Fingers crossed then for our next trip!
You can tell the direction of the prevailing wind from this close-up:
As well as enjoying the hoar frost we've been digging a new flower and vegetable border in an area of the lawn. Unfortunately, freezing weather coupled with all the builders' rubble one-inch below the surface, is making it very slow going.
Rather than be trapped at home again this weekend, after the thankfully light snowfall, we decided to take a trip to Welney WWT as this also gave us an opportunity to catch up with an old friend, returned briefly from Taiwan for a Christmas visit.
We timed our arrival for opening time so got to enjoy a near empty main hide. As usual the swans were the stars of the show. Here a Whooper Swan adult surveying the ice (90% of the usual water was covered in ice):
A close-up to see the bill pattern:
A juvenile enjoying it's first winter at Welney:
Another regular winter visitor is the Common Pochard, this drake was fast asleep outside the window, waiting no doubt for the noon feed due a couple of hours hence:
As well as the Whooper and Mute swans that were in front of the main hide, two remote Bewick's were visible on a distant patch of free water. A closer but still reasonably distant bird, and the second we've ever seen, was this Tundra Bean Goose:
The sun, just two days from its lowest point, was remarkably weak, really struggling to penetrate even thin cloud, hence the temperature not rising above -5c while we were at Welney.
Before a warming cup of tea at the visitor centre and our drive to Peterborough for lunch, we enjoyed watching Meadow Pipits scurrying and sliding around on the ice:
We were lucky the snow hadn't trapped us in nor indeed affected our weekend plans. Fingers crossed then for our next trip!
Labels: bird identification, birding, Welney WWT, Whooper Swans
posted by Michael at 4:11 pm
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