Thurs 13th December take 2

Have some catching up to do on my post's and as I am layed up with a bad back at the moment, it seems a good time to do it. With a lot of sightings about and with the days getting shorter, it was a toss up were to go for the best, decided on a visit to Marbury Country Park in Cheshire, the first time there for me, were a Bitten was reported the day before as showing well, but there was no sign and if I had not felt a collage coming on and got a few scenery shots the camera would not have been used, could not afford to wait too long as we were hoping to follow a friend from Westport Lake to Silverdale Colliery, to hopefully find the Iceland Gull, as is usually the case it's what you can find just driving along that can make your day, hence getting a shot of the Heron trying to disguise himself as part of the bush and the Buzzard on a wire, although missed the shot of the day!! I thought he was gone for good only to get the call from the car, "hurry up he has only gone to a post further down, jump in and get your camera ready as you will only get one chance at it, before he see's you","No Pressure there Then", at this point the adrenalin starts pumping, please tell me it's not only me that this has happened to, I half get out of the car, focus, see him looking at me with that glint in the eye, get goose bumps that this is the shot of the Century!! only to find the camera would not shoot, "Bugger whats wrong", only to find I had switched off the camera on the way back to the car, by the time I have re-set the moment has passed and he's gone, as you can imagine Driver cannot understand why I missed such an easy shot, air turns BLUE and we continue on our way with him non the wiser, oh well another lesson learned, Arrived at Silverdale only to find no sign of the Iceland Gull after standing in the freezing cold for about two hours. Heron

Buzzard

Buzzard

Marbury C. P. Chehsire.

Ross-On-Sea North Wales

After a couple of days of reports that there were around 15 plus Purple Sandpiper's present in Ross-On-Sea and with missing a trip to Rhyl last week for the Dessert Wheatear, this was my first oppertunity to head up that way, but alas there were no sightings of the Wheatear, so carried on to Ross-On-Sea for the Sandpiper as this was a first for me, a couple of record shots below but to say that the weather was bracing is an understatement and only found two sheltering from the incoming tide along with a hand full of Redshanks and Turnstones, after a warming pub lunch had a walk on the small harbour and came across the Rock Pipit's which are another first for me. I always think that if you know you can better your shots it's a good excuse for a further visit to a lovely area, so will be back.

Purple Sandpiper

Purple Sandpiper

Purple Sandpiper

Rock Pipit

Turnstone

Redshank

Mist On The Moors

Staffs Moorland

Staffs Moorland

Waxwings in Macclesfield

Finally Waxwings on my doorstep, found one first of all and then it's constant calling brought in another two. Waxwing

Waxwing

North Staffordshire Moorlands

As anyone who knows the Moors well, will tell you, it has a completely different climate to anywhere else, after seeing a report that a Snow Bunting had been seen again at the Mermaid Pool Morridge, we decided to investigate only to find it blowing a gail and you could see the rain in the distance a mile off, with a few other ardent Birders joining the search, there were two found along the track going away from the Pool and with patience and withstanding the down pour, as there were clear sky's coming in behind the rain clouds, the best of the shots are below, got only by lying behind a big boulder, only after standing up did I realise just how wet I had got,saturated from the waist down and was lucky to be let back in the car for the ride home, but I think it was well worth it and the damp is soon forgotten with a change of clothes and a hot cup of tea. Snow Bunting

Snow Bunting

Snow Bunting

Hanley Staffordshire

Met up with lots of friends old and new and spent a great day in the Octagon Retail Park, watching and waiting for the Waxwings to come and go onto the berry trees, arrived at around 9am and stayed until approx 3pm, there must have been around 20 of us at one point staking out one small tree, much to the bewilderment of shoppers and passers-by, with their curiosity getting to most of them, as they stopped to asked what we were there for, I have no doubt many of which now have the internet blocked as they look up what a Waxwing is !! Mistle Thrush

Waxwing

Waxwing