More January sightings

I'm not finding it very easy to keep the blog up, having said I would revive it this year!  The main reason is that it competes with the blog I write in Welsh, which also serves to allow me to practice and keep up with my Welsh writing.

However, we did go to Wicken Fen at the beginning of the year (2nd January) and I hoped I would see the Hen Harriers that roost there coming in at the end of the day, but no luck.  It was a beautiful clear day, with much sun and blue skies, but also a very busy day, full of families with children having a great time - and hence noisy.  The hen harriers are not very tolerant of human activity apparently and so perhaps roosted somewhere else.  We did see marsh harriers however, though we didn't really have good views.

So I've listed below what I have seen this year, in no particular order, according to my lists - don't always remember to note them down.  It is amazing how many species of birds there are around to see once you look and make a note - otherwise sightings are forgotten fairly quickly!  And having now fixed the problem I had with my camera when using the shutter priority or the aperture priority I continue to hope that I might get some better photos of the local kestrels or even the kites!

Snipe
Chiff-chaff
Water rail
herring gull
common gull
lesser black backed gull
widgeon
shoveler
golden-eye
great crested crebe
little grebe
cormorant
robin
black-cap
long-tailed tit
blue tit
great tit
chaffinch
blackbird
mute swan
tufted duck
gadwall
mallard
coal tit
songthrush
Marsh Harrier
Reed bunting
greenfinch
house sparrow
goldfinch
kestrel
Meadow pipit
Buzzard
Oyster catcher
Red Kite
curlew
woodpigeon