Leon and I left for WWT at 13:30. When we arrived we were suprised to find that it would be closing at 15:00! Leon bought some birdfood and we then set off to look for, and found, the 'disco duck'. he seems to have come to terms with his disability and was happily interacting with most of the other ducks although a Mandarin seemed to take some small delight in tormenting him at times!
We made our way to the 'Peacock Tower', on the way discovering what appeared to be evidence of another attack upon a swan! There was a large peice of skin with feathers attached.
There was a very nice chap in the tower who was kind enough to point out some birds that Leon and I would surely have missed*. Will have to look into getting a telescope one of these days. The whole of the 'Wader Scrape' and the meadow area were flooded which concentrated the birds into quite small areas. I understand that the staff flood the area to 'lift' any remaining seeds that may be left to make it easier for the birds to find!
Popped into 'Red Lion' for two pints on the way home. A short but very rewarding visit. The voles, of course, were in bed early waiting for Santa!
BIRDS SEEN:** Stonechat, Rock Pippit, Siskin, Jack Snipe, Common Snipe and Sparrowhawk.
* It never ceases to amaze me just how kind and generous most of the people who use WWT can be. Leon and I are often treated to views we would not likely to see by people letting us look through their telescopes or giving us advice on where and when to look for different birds. Help on identifing birds is also very welcome for we beginners.
** In future (now that I have these old journal entries added here) I shall list the birds that I would consider as being unusual or attract attention for some reason.
