We almost had a white Christmas. The Reserve looked wonderful and there was a lot of wildlife to see. Trevor Gunton found me two water rails near the Kingfisher Hide and I found a snipe there too. The place was stuffed with thrushes. Blackbirds, song thrushes, fieldfares and redwings were all on the meadow at once. Then, to cap it all, Jamie Wells found three bearded tits at Rudd Pit.
Snow is a real gift if you want to track mammals. There were fox, rabbit, deer, otter and mink tracks on the frozen lakes. One fox strolled across Weedy Pit, in full view.
I took some pictures of the snow from my skis (yes, really!) on the 23rd and have posted them at http://s595.photobucket.com/albums/tt37/paxton-pits/Snow%20December%202009/
We have a big open day on New Year's Day. I'm hoping for good company, great views and lots of birds. If you can't be there, I hope the New Year finds you in good health.
