31 March 2022 - Hollingworth Lake

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Skylark, lots of Meadow Pipits, Goldeneye, pair Goosander

After overnight frost, it snowed first thing and then brightened up for the morning walk. I walked anti-clockwise and the first thing to be seen was a pair of Goosander just past the Beach Hotel.  When I reached the wall overlooking Bib Knowl, a Meadow Pipit flew across left to right into the field.  The field was covered with a light dusting of snow, and a good number of Meadow Pipits could be seen feeding in the grass; maybe 40 or more.  I don't know if these were forced down from the moorland, or if they're normally there but I haven't seen them in the normal grassy conditions. I suspect the former.  As I scanned them I noticed a larger bird with them, which turned out to be a Skylark.  Quite a rarity on the ground in these parts.

There seemed to be more Pied Wagtails around too.  I walked through Pavilion Wood and could hear a Curlew calling but couldn't see anything in the air; as I left the trees, I realised it was standing on the small spit just opposite, but it flew as soon as it saw me, and though I heard it shortly afterwards, didn't see it again.  In the hide, a couple of Pied Wagtails fed just in front, but not much else to see.  Back on Rakewood Road, the Goldeneye was still present, and then nothing much except Pied Wagtails until I almost reached the car park, where another couple of Meadow Pipits were on the shoreline. 

In the garden this afternoon, around a dozen or so Redwings landed in trees just beyond the boundaries.

Snow, 1/500 sec, f/5.6, ISO 200, 220 mm

Skylark, 1/500 sec, f/5.6, ISO 100, 220 mm

Pied Wagtail, 1/500 sec, f/5.6, ISO 500, 220 mm

Pied Wagtail , 1/500 sec, f/5.6, ISO 125, 220 mm