Swanpool/Boultham mere 12/12.

Severe frost, clear skies, bright & sunny. Very Cold. Mere 95% frozen.
Bittern showed very well mid morning. It got up from the reeds in front of the hide and flew in a big loop into the northern reeds. Shortly afterwards it flew again, also in a big loop, and landed in the southern reeds where it sat up in the reed tops, preening & sunning itself for about 20 minutes before flying into the reeds to the right of the hide.
Also at the mere:-
2 Mute Swans
8 Canada Geese
2 Gadwall
16 Teal
64 Mallard
1 Shoveler
55 Coot
1 Water Rail

On and across the fields
1 Woodcock & 1 Snipe flushed from stubble field
1 Green Woodpecker
6 Redwings flew over (very few winter thrushes on the patch this winter)
1 Song Thrush
c40 Linnets
c25 Lesser Redpolls
2 Bullfinches
4 Greenfinches
c10 Goldfinches
c30 Yellowhammers
c10 Reed Buntings

43 species recorded, all BirdTracked.

Regards,
Andy.