Port Meadow Birding

A wild and woolly day today with rain and very strong winds. A late morning visit to the Meadow found that the rain flood waters have now extended so that even down to the South Tail there is some flood water and birds were plentiful everywhere. It was the same birds as yesterday but somehow it felt like the Meadow was back to what it should be, what with the extensive floods, the wind and rain and the piping wigeon and teal grazing away, plentiful snipe probing the newly softened mud, the hunkered down golden plover and lapwings. The large feral goose flock were all on the floods and only served to add to the wonderful autumnal tableau. There were plenty of meadow pipits, pied wagtails, starlings and linnets around and one somehow gets the sense that something much more interesting could turn up in amongst them or along the flood shore line any day now.

Meadow scene. Á lá "Where's Wally" If you look carefully you should be able to spot a golden plover and a snipe in amongst the teal and wigeon in this rather wind and rain blurred photo. © Adam Hartley