New years day

New Years Day many birders start off their annual bird list and there is no better place to visit, in my opinion, than Martin Mere. It was a very wet start to the morning but that didnt stop the blackbirds alarm calling near the Ron Barker hide, alerting me to the location of a Tawny Owl hiding in the ivy. From the United Utilities hide you have a great vantage point to see all of the raptors waking up and coming out of roost. So far today I've seen 4 Buzzards and 11 Marsh Harriers, 2 Kestrels huntng over the wet grassland and a huge female peregrine flushing all the small ducks and waders off the mere. From here look amongst the cattle and you can see 2 Cattle egrets, 1 Great egret and 4 Grey herons. Pop along the public footpath outside the reedbed walk to the sewage works and there are some pied wagtails, chiffchaffs (no sign of the Siberian while I was there but hopefully others have more luck). Water rails calling on the reedbed walk and Cetti's warblers belting out their fantastic song.

Sightings for today so far....

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