Plovercane

Chris and I spent a bracing afternoon at Frampton Marsh, our first visit this winter. The range of species we saw was somewhat smaller than in previous years, and installation of predator-proof fencing meant that parts of the site looked a bit like a battlefield. But the sheer number of birds is always a delight - the flock in the photograph are just some of the 14,000 golden plover currently present - at times the sky was full of them. Also present were approximately 7000 wigeon, 7000 lapwing and a couple of thousand Brent geese  - quite a spectacle when they took to the air. I felt rather sorry for the neighbouring farmer, whose wheat field was being heavily grazed by the Brent geese!