2011 arrives - and so do more birds

Not so much in the garden now all the snow has melted, although we still have plenty of Bramblings, but still more action on the reserve in recent days.

While we've still not managed to see the Bittern on Ivy Lake (mainly as a result of not wanting to do battle with the mobs of visitors!), there have been other goodies - a (or the?) redhead Smew for a couple of days on Ibsley Water, a different (juvenile) Iceland Gull the last two nights in the roost, three Red-crested Pochards, and even a Black Swan flying over this evening!

Iceland Gull juv - photo courtesy Alan Hayden

Yellow-legged and Lesser Black-backed Gulls - photo courtesy Alan Hayden

But I have saved my very own Red-breasted Merganser until last - here's a photo to add to the "appalling record shots" collection.....