Terminal Frost - Pink Floyd

 The intended 'headline' for today's Post was always
going to be 'Learning to Fly' until opening my
'BIG MOUTH'!
regarding the 'mild' winter weather we have been enjoying thus far but,
Ice is forming on the tips of my wings
Unheeded warnings, I thought, I thought of everything
No navigator to find my way home
Unladen, empty and turned to stone
A soul in tension that's learning to fly
Condition grounded but determined to try

 #

  Above the planet on a wing and a prayer,

My grubby halo

a vapour trail in the empty air,
Across the clouds I see my shadow fly
Out of the corner of my watering eye
A dream unthreatened by the morning light
Could blow this soul right through the roof of the night

Learning to Fly - Pink Floyd

Terminal Frost - A Momentary Lapse of Reason - Link

but the title and lyrics of this instrumental, from the same album, are far more meaningful as the
temperature plummeted to an icy -6°C the following morning.

 A HARD EARLY MORNING FROST
 and is that X marks the spot or just an advert for The Halifax?
Yes of course there are no lyrics to an instrumental, but emphasising that the
Mouth is Shut and Firmly Locked!
(until the next time)
With surface ice covering  both the

 Irrigation Pond

and

Gravel Pit

precluding any Wildfowl activity

we turned to the teachings of Confucius who would likely say

"If the mountain won't come to Mohamed,

we'd better cut along to Longham Lake"!

A quick scan across the

Southern Section of the Lakes

we were soon in business with

COOT

making up our first Year Tick of the day.

For the uninitiated, we use BLUE to denote a new Creature for the Year,

and RED for a Lifer (the first ever seen in ones life).

That was immediately followed by a group of feeding 

 POCHARD

and on further quick succession

LITTLE GREBE

 male

and

 female

TUFTED DUCK

 GREAT CRESTED GREBE

 GADWALL

and

from the fringe of Common Reed at the southern tip of the lake came the 

familiar, piglet-like squealing of a

WATER RAIL

We wuz doin' good.

Incidentals, already seen this year were represented by an overflying

 CORMORANT

and a more than obliging 

 CARRION CROW

shimmering in the now bright sunshine.

Just to indicate how unpredictable Bird Watching can be, on the lead-up

to the New Year there was one species seen on every day of December without exception.

Come the Bird Race and not one was seen on New Year's Day, and none since, although

they are thought to be lurking somewhere in our Recording Area. Take the short drive to

Longham and Robert is your Father's Bother a

'bold as brass'

STONECHAT

 At the furthest extremity there were a number of

REED BUNTING

buzzing about, but the BEST seemed to have been saved until last.
There had been no reports, either way, from the local
Birding Websites

of c3 of the RAREST Birds to have been gracing Dorset throughout
the month of December,

 so it was with great delight and surprise

 that one of the

GREAT WHITE EGRET

 broke cover and flew across the lake,

settling from time to time, and

allowing decent approach.
It did help greatly to be alone in this!

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