Pen Caer
A melt earlier in the week turned our steep lane into a stream which subsequently froze into black ice. A couple of inches of powder snow on top has now made it look more like the Cresta Run. On my last attempt to break out I reversed about 3 yards out of our drive onto the road and got stuck.
What a great excuse to wander around the fields and see whats about!
Most noticeable has been a steady flow of small numbers of Lapwings all heading for the coast with none returning so probably hard weather movement in search of warmer climes. I tried to photograph them and failed miserably, excuse the sad image.
Along with the Lapwing, a few Golden Plover and a steady stream in ones and twos of winter thrushes,Redwings odd Fieldfares but the majority being Mizzles. Odd Snipe and a Woodcock were put up in a boggy corner, whilst a calling Curlew came in to land as I passed by. Meadow Pippits,Robins and Rooks were extremely tame, probably all suffering and loath to waste energy.
Raptors included Buzzard, Sparrowhawk, Peregrine, Merlin, and Kestrel, but star birds were three Chough feeding around our neighbours slurry pit which flew over our house and became garden ticks ! Its not often we see chough away from the coastal fringe but I have seen them hereabouts a couple of times over the years.