RSPB Marshside

We had been to Marshside only once before on a very cold and windy New Years Day a couple of years ago. A bit of a repeat performance on Monday, it was very windy and probably only just a bit warmer than that New Years Day!

We started off at the Visitor Centre Hide, where the highlight was this Ruff:

and two summer plumage Black-tailed Godwit that flew off before I could point the lens at them, they joined a group of other Godwits, some distance away:

I then saw a pair of Pintail fairly close, but they did a 'Godwit' before I could alert the others and take a photo! The Avocets though gave a fine showing with two pairs nesting just in front of the hide;

although worryingly both did leave the eggs unguarded for quite longs spells;

We left the visitor centre and went along to the Nels hide in search of Garganey but of those there was no sign, of course others in the hide said that they had seen them.... (Don't believe them!)

Anyway the Shelduck and Tufted Duck came to have their photo's taken;

After this we went on a circulkar walk through the golf course, where we had another 'aahhh' moment with these Greylag families:

There were a few Brown Hare about, but this is the best photo that I could manage (This ones for you Jimmy):

We did saw a couple of UK year firsts;
Swift:

and a Meadow Pipit:

So a a nice day, bringing our UK total for the year up to 114. A long way to go yet before reaching last years best of 185, perhaps a trip to Suffolk next week will add to our tally and finally see us seeing a Bearded Tit for the first time. Fingers crossed. (A Dartford Warbler wood be nice too!)