Before the recent freeze Stagsike Meadow had held good numbers of Lapwing with several hundred present on many days but with frozen ground the lack of feeding opportunities had forced them to go elsewhere ...
There were Wigeon at the west end and along the south east side a group of five Goldeneye dived among the waves of the choppy grey waters ...
... only one was a male ...
... looking smart , as always ...
... the unexpectedly missing bridge forced a detour down the Tarn Beck in search of a safe crossing point as a Dipper flew off downstream giving that lovely imperative call ... a Buzzard called from somewhere in the mist, provoking a tirade of alarming from a Kestrel ... such is the nature of birding in these conditions when the sounds give away more than the sights of the activities and movements of the birds ...
... the skyline to the south of the tarn cleared briefly and a flock of mainly Fieldfares with a few Redwings burst out and perched nervously near the top of a beech tree ...
... mainly just grey silhouettes but quite evocative nonetheless ...
... as the mist closed in again the southern shore of the tarn could be seen no longer ...
... so back to birding by ear as I walked past Stagsike Meadow where the calls of Lapwings filtered in from invisible parts and suddenly the raucous calls of a flock of Canada Geese as they rose from the rushy pools as they disappeared off into the gloom ...
... from a starting point with low expectations I headed home with a sense of having taken in quite a rewarding mix of sights and sounds ...
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