22nd January

Under a clear sky it was a lovely day to get out birding even if, as is more often than not the case at this time of year, it was largely uneventful. Sadly, the one event that was more than worthwhile - a fly-over Great White Egret at Blacknor - required being in just the right spot at the right moment for; otherwise it was a day for tapping into a few of the regulars: 5 Purple Sandpipers, 3 Redpolls, a Merlin and a Chiffchaff at the Bill, 6 Long-tailed Tits and 3 Blackcaps at Southwell, the 3 Rooks at Barleycrates Lane, the Rosy Starling at Easton and a Black Redstart at Blacknor.

It's a hard life being a Purple Sandpiper © Pete Saunders: