Slowly the Ice Melts

This week the snow and ice started to thaw, then another couple of inches were dumped on Wednesday morning, then disappearing as quick as it came and by Friday all has gone save the drifts on the Fire Hills and some of the icy margins on the shallow pools. Three trips out this week - Monday a walk from Dogs Hill to Long Pit and the barns produced a male Goldeneye and great views of a Sparrowhawk taking afternoon tea on a post by the barns.Wednesday after the snow I took a walk up to Pannel Valley,

Carters flood still totally frozen over. Along the canal a couple of Stonechat, Meadow Pipits, Skylarks, Curlews, Black Tailed Godwit, Lapwing in the surrounding fields

- on the Scrape Shoveler,Teal, Shelduck, a Peregrin hunting over, up the valley 2 Marsh Harriers and the Great Grey Shrike put in an appearance near the first hide but kept flitting from the top of bushes.

Friday a walk on the sea wall looking for the reported Wood Larks was a dissappointment the Bulldozers and Dumpers were up and down like Yo Yo's on the sea there were 4 single Great Crested Grebes