1 Jan - A successful New Year's Day birding. Early morning on a fine day and a pair of Smew (1,2) flew in on cue to pit 28 at CWP. Also seen in the water park - Goosander, Kingfisher, Siskin and Redpoll - 9 Little Egrets - and 10 Pintail and a Cetti's Warbler. Slimbridge was very crowded, the Bittern failed to show but the Spotted Redshank (3) was seen well in the sunshine on the Tack piece - also there 2 Peregrines, together with thousands of waterbirds - Golden Plover and Lapwings, Dunlin, Ruff, Black-tailed Godwits and Redshanks. Bewick's Swans and White-fronted Geese were prominent in the sunshine. On the way home, 23 Waxwings (4,5) remained from the large flock that has been in Cheltenham for several weeks.
Imber ranges are open to the public at Christmas, and late afternoon I had good views of a hunting Short-eared Owl (7) and a flyby female Merlin (6) - I missed a male Hen Harrier by a couple of minutes! Total 77 species.
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