I know it's meant to be the shortest days of the year and everything, but you'd of thought the weathergods could cut us some slack.
As I headed up the road the Marine Lake looked like there'd been an explosion in a Coot factory - there were hundreds of 'em bobbing about.
Marshside was grey, murky and misty, dark and dingy - and that was before the rain started this morning.
A small flock of Reed Buntings beneath Mount Baker and a Peregrine tazzed south low in the drizzle.
Three Woodpigeons, two Song Thrushes and a few Gringoes etc in the compound.
A few hundred Pink Feet were distant on the outer marsh, but it was too dark to do anything with them.
At least the Green Winged Teal was dozing north of the Sandgrounders Hide - it has been quite a while since I caught up with him.
He even woke up for about five seconds. Once.
Shovelers were snoozing too, but there were one or two large herds of Wigeons about the place still.
I guess the hard frosts in the week have meant a lot of stuff has moved off - it'll come back soon enough though.
Two Water Rails north of the Sandgrounders Hide today, but the sandplant lagoon was empty - it still had an 80% covering of ice.
Seemed like the perfect day to raise spirits with a trip to the Crem Woods, so I gave it 45 minutes or so - and it was pretty good.
Old Smokey wasn't puffing today, so the area was fairly undisturbed.
Great Spotted Woodpecker and Nuthatch calling, Goldcrest, Long Tailed Tit, single Brambling, 50+ Redwing and at least 5-6 Woodcock.
The Woodcock burst from cover at the Crem end in the usual tangle of briars and fallen trees.
I decided to head for home via Plex Moss, and miracle of miracles the sun came out, to the bathe the fields around Haskayne Cutting in golden light (awwww....).
About 70 Fieldfare, with smaller numbers of Redwing, Mistle Thrush, Lapwing and Skylarks were feeding quietly.
As the sun dipped in and out of the clouds, the Fieldfares changed colour - warm and rich, then cold and grey.
A single Buzzard drifted about, but otherwise it was quiet - no Grey Partridge, and as I headed off the moss in gathering dark, no Barn Owls either.
Eyes to the skies everyone, eyes to the skies...
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23/12. Hi John the drake Green-winged Teal showing well again from Sandgrounders hide. Plenty of raptors on the saltmarsh, Peregrine, two Merlins, four Kestrels, Sparrowhawk and a young female Marsh Harrier. A very high count of Cormorants on the beach - 361. 267 Tufted Duck, 120 Pochard, 2 Goldeneye and a female Scaup amongst the Coot (c.1200) on Southport Marina. Have a cool Yule. Graham.