The Turnstone was still present (PJ). 2 Short-eared Owls hunted over the North Shore during the afternoon. 304 Tufted Ducks were on the Swag and 144 on the Slurry Pool. Other totals were 21 Pochard, 6 Goosanders, 20+ Snipe, 3 Jack Snipe, 2 Stonechats, 35 Redwings, 15 Blackbirds, 25 Lesser Redpolls, 10 Siskins, 6 Goldfinches, Sparrowhawk, Kestrel and a Buzzard. A total of 17 Red Deer, in two discrete groups, was present but only one mature stag was amongst them, no doubt as a result of the rather dubiously justified cull recently. Alleged damage to young trees is a nonsense, certainly at Chasewater since there is a desperate need for scrub clearance and heathland management and if its road casualty concerns that drive the cull then these can be reduced greatly by dog owners keeping their dogs on the lead. Today it was an uncontrolled 'Molly' that caused a group of 9 deer to panic and potentially become a road hazard (GE).

An adult Caspian Gull, the white Black-headed Gull and at least 118 Great Black-backed Gulls were in the roost (PJ).

A Short-eared Owl was also seen over No Man's Bank (IW).

An adult Caspian Gull was seen at Stubber's Green (RC).

Hunting Short-eared Owl © G Evans

Frozen Swag (GE)

Turnstone (GE)

At Stubbers Green a possible 2nd w Caspian Gull was seen (KD, DSc, RSc).

Part of the gull roost (GE).

Underside of primaries showing diagnostic pattern of white 'tongues' (GE).

A Short-eared Owl and Green Woodpecker were seen on the North Shore (JH). As well as 2 (adult and 3rd w) Caspian Gulls there were 1894 adult Herring Gulls in the roost (IW).

On the Cuckoo Bank heathland there were 12 Snipe, 4 Stonechats, 7 Reed Buntings, 6 Meadow Pipits, Skylark, Lesser Redpoll and 4 Red Deer. On the fields there were 15 Grey Partridge, 27 Skylarks, 6 Meadow Pipits, a Stonechat, 4 Fieldfares and a flock of 10 Chaffinches, 2 Greenfinches and Reed Bunting feeding on a stubble field. Two Falconers were flying a Peregrine, after partridge no doubt. Later they were seen with an antennae tracking their lost Peregrine. Grey Partridge will not last long if these people hunt regularly (JH).

At Stubbers Green an adult Caspian Gull was seen to fly off towards Chasewater (EGP).

At Stubbers Green nothing of note was seen in three hours of watching (PJ).

Was this a Christmas angel? 

.....even better, a bathing adult Mediterranean Gull! (GE)

The 3rd w Caspian Gull was at Stubbers Green (JA).

At Stubbers Green both the 3rd w and 2nd w Caspian Gulls were present (PJ, GE).

The 3rd w bird showing dark spots in the tail, brown in the tertials and sub-terminal dark band on the bill (© GE)

The 3rd winter Caspian Gull (© A. Slade)

Great efforts were made to find Waxwings in the area but to no avail. Instead, two lucky observers were found by the Waxwings whilst they were respectively photographing Red Deer and looking at the gull roost! Firstly, at midday three flocks of Waxwings totaling 60 birds flew north over Anglesey Basin (NS) and 74+ flew north over the lake at 14:55 (PJ). Its obviously impossible to say whether these flocks involved the same birds. A Kingfisher, the drake Smew, adult Mediterranean Gull were present during the day and in the roost there was a 3rd w Yellow-legged Gull, <1000 Herring Gulls, 150+ Great Black-backs, 300+ Lesser Black-backs, 11500 Black-headed Gulls and a few Common Gulls. The freezing temperatures at dusk caused the gulls to roost tightly packed in a line sheltering from the easterly breeze along the length of the dam and the sailing shore to just beyond Target Point, a distance of 1 km.

In Highfield Farm there were 10 Yellowhammers, 20 Goldfinches, 10 Greenfinches, several Redwings and 11 redpolls that were only seen in flight (GE).

Waiting at the station! (GE)

The flock of 93 (GE)

View from the bridge (GE)