Hayling Pit: Bittern seen in flight early morning

Cloudy Pit: 2 Firecrests still & Redpoll over

Heronry South: 2 Smew (1 drake)

Island Pit: 4 Smew (1 drake), 3 Red-crested Pochards

Other sightings: 2 Little Egrets, 2 Pintail (1 drake), Curlew, 5 Redshanks, Green Sandpiper, 2 Oystercatchers, 2 Ringed Plovers, Snipe, 6 Buzzards, Sparrowhawk, 5 Red-legged Partridges.

Cloudy Pit: 2 Firecrests still in usual area around 'The Beach'

Heronry South: 2 Smew (1 drake)

Meadow: 2 Barnacle Geese & Oystercatcher over.

Diddington Pit: male Stonechat

Sailing Lake: Oystercatcher

Other sightings: Caspian Gull (2CY), 2 Pintail (1 drake), 2 Little Egrets, 2 Buzzards, Ringed Plover, 4 Oystercatchers, 2 Redshanks.

Cloudy Pit: Pair of Barnacle Geese (one of which is colour ringed) this morning, aggressively chasing off Canada Geese.

Two Firecrests still around Cloudy Pit and showing well at times. Also today, a male Stonechat.

Firecrest still at south end of Cloudy Pit this morning.

Cloudy Pit: 1, possibly two Firecrests, seen by several visitors throughout the day around area of 'The Beach' again. Also treecreeper with long-tailed tits and bullfinches.

Visitors' Centre: male Blackcap on peanuts.

A Firecrest at the South end of Cloudy Pit around 'The Beach' area this afternoon is star bird of the day today.

WeBS count this morning was also fairly productive: a female Marsh Harrier flew west at the north end of Island Pit late morning, quickly followed by a flock of 80+ Black-tailed Godwits heading in the same direcetion. Also this morning a male Stonechat at Diddington Pit and nearby a pair of Grey Partridges.

Eleven 'Blackwits' present at the Pits late afternoon were then joined by the (presumably same) 80 birds seen earlier in the day.

Island Pit: redhead Smew, male & female Red-crested Pochard, female Marsh Harrier, 80+ Black-tailed Godwits & 2 Woodcock's. A flock of Redwing in trees along the east side of the pit included some birds in sub-song.

Diddington Pit: 4 Pintail (2 males), Buzzard, 11 Red-legged Partridges, male Stonechat.

Unspecified location: 2 Little Egrets, Sparrowhawk, Buzzard, Water Rail calling, 2 Green Sandpipers, 2 Oystercatchers, 4 Ringed Plovers, 3+ Redshanks, pair of Grey Partridges, 5+ Kingfishers & c.65 Redwings.

Male Stonechat, Paxton Pits

2 Red-crested Pochards and a Marsh Tit from the Hayden Hide this morning.

Other sightings today: Little Egret, 7 Shelduck, 7 Pintail (4 drakes), 2 Sparrowhawks, 5+ Buzzards, Peregrine, 2-3 Oystercatchers, Ringed Plover, Golden Plover, 300 Lapwing, Snipe, 4 Redshank & a small flock of c.20 Pied Wagtails.

Highlights from late afternoon today:

3 Pintail (1 drake), 2 Shelduck, 2 Sparrowhawks, Oystercatcher, c.60 Golden Plover, c.600 Lapwing, 2 Snipe, 8+ Redshank, 2 Yellow-legged Gulls (adult and 2W), Skylark singing, 36 Fieldfare flew north.

Today's sightings: 2+ Shelduck, 3 Red-crested Pochards (2 drakes), 4 Smew (1 drake), Ringed Plover, c.60 Golden Plovers, 4 Snipe, Curlew and 2-3 Redshanks.

All lakes across the complex almost entirely frozen today with wildfowl tightly packed in to the few small remaining pockets of unfrozen water. The fields on the eastern side of Island Pit are flooded at the moment due to the high river levels and were being used small numbers of Teal, Shoveler and Mallard.

Todays highlights:

Island Pit: 2 Smew (inc. 1 drake), Woodcock, singing Skylark, c.25 Meadow Pipits.

Diddington Pit: redhead Smew, 2 Redshanks.

Unspecified location: Little Egret, Jack Snipe, 4CY Yellow-legged Gull, 30+ Siskin.

Also today a pair of Grey Partridges were feeding in fields just north of Diddington village (just NW of the pit complex).

3-4 Smew still today around the complex, plus 2 Goosander on the river in the morning. 6 Pintail (including 3 drakes) were new in and there were up to 9 Shelduck. 3 Red-crested Pochards remain, as do the 8 Barnacle Geese that are associating with the main Greylag flock. Snipe have become more noticeable recently as a result of the cold weather and at least 52 were seen around the site today, as well as a single Jack Snipe. 3 Dunlin and 2+ Redshanks were the other waders noted this morning. Other highlights include a Barn Owl seen early in the day, Grey Wagtail near the river viewpoint and single Marsh Tits around the Heron trail at post 4 and at the Snake Pit feeders. 25-30 Yellowhammers were feeding near Peter's Field.

Heronry North: Red Kite over

Sailing Lake: 3 Smew, (inc. 1 drake) & 3 Red-crested Pochards (2 drakes)

Island Pit: redhead Smew, 3 Goosanders (drake & 2 redheads)

Diddington Pit: 8 Barnacle Geese still, Bar-headed Goose, 3 Dunlin, 17+ Snipe, Redshank, c.25 Meadow Pipits.

Washout Pit: Snipe

Boughton Lodge Farm: 4+ Siskin

Other sightings: 8 Shelduck, 2CY Yellow-legged Gull

Barnacle Goose
© Jamie Wells

Great meadow: 70+ fieldfare, 5 yellowhammer.
All meadows: Kestrel.
Southoe brook: Kingfisher.
Ouse Valley Way: Reed bunting, bullfinch, chaffinch, goldfinch.

Heron trail - by post 3: 3 fieldfares,

Cloudy Pit: Little egret - roosting in trees.

Fields near River Viewpoint: Female stonechat, 9 fieldfare, 1 redwing.

Meadow trail: 12 redwing, 10 fieldfare.

Heronry north lake: Red-crested pochard.

Heronry south lake: Goldeneye, marsh tit.

Unspecified location: Black-tailed godwit, 4 buzzard, woodcock, 6 shelduck, 8 barnacle geese, snipe.