A Pheasant Start To The New Years List

My first visit to Newport Wetlands of 2012, and a chance to get this years bird list off to a good start.

Well at least that was the theory. The reality was it was really quiet there. The general consensus was yesterdays storms and today's blustery conditions meant that most of the wildfowl were staying hunkered down in the reed beds.

I did manage some notable ticks that took me most of last year to get. I accidentally flushed the Short Eared Owl whilst walking along the sea wall. There was a stunning male Stonechat hovering by the visitor centre, but alas it was too gloomy to take any decent photos whilst I was there. In the end I was glad I took a couple of shots of this pheasant when I arrived, as it was the best photograph I got.

The year list already stands at forty, which is quite healthy, when you consider I got the first twenty five ticks from the kitchen window. The garden has been fairly mobbed the past forty eight hours, and the storms has blown me in a new chaffinch flock. I am hoping that there may be the odd Goldcrest and Brambling, both of which were regular visitors this time last year.

It's my dads birthday today, so we are all off for a family meal tonight. I better let him have something expensive off the menu ... he's helping me fix the storm damaged fence tomorrow.