The Big Freeze

We clambered out of the car into the refreshing yet bitter dawn air, having woken at an ungodly hour. It was just the two of us [me and Daddy] and the alluring calls of geese and wildfowl rose up into the misty morning air. With all the equipment either hoisted onto shoulders or clutched in numb hands, we set off down the narrow road, bordered by overgrown hedges and a short metal fence. Robins and Blackbirds hopped about in front of us, or warbled from a bramble perch. In places, there were gaps in the hedge, allowing us to peer through and get an idea of what was to come. When we reached the hide, we stopped in our tracks. The marsh was breathtaking, though not in the usual way…

It was completely FROZEN OVER, all except for a patch of water no bigger than a small back garden. Crammed together across this patch of ice-cold water was all the birds usually seen on the marsh, in full view, all huddled together in a loosely spread bundle. Avocets, Black Tailed Godwits, Dunlin, Curlew, Lapwing, Redshank and Canada Geese were all lined up on the tussock-littered bank. Wigeon, Teal, Gadwall, Shoveler, Mallards and Pintail jostled for space to rest or feed. Two young Spoonbills showed no interest in the hustle and bustle around them, and snoozed on, only raising their heads slightly when a bullying Great Black Backed Gull put the flock of waders to flight.

This was a regular occurrence, with a Kestrel and a Grey Heron doing the same as time went on. As the sun rose higher and higher in the sky, Daddy drew my attention to a small brown bird hopping about on one of the islands closer to the hide. Left of a Lapwing, a lone pipit moved about the clumps of long grass, continually moving out of my field of view. It was unlikely to be a Meadow Pipit or Tree Pipit, and Rock Pipits stick to the coasts usually, plus it showed the identifying features of a Water Pipit. 143 and counting!

A nice man in the hide pointed a trio of Snipe out to our prying eyes, and told us about the Spotted Redshank that’s been hanging around for a while. He even showed us a few photos. However, after searching through the heaving masses of birds, we didn’t find it. On this note, we left the hide out into the bitter air, and started the trudge back up to the car. The air was cruelly chilled, the icy air attacking us in every place it could reach. Despite all my layers, I was shivering by the time we were driving home.