Wednesday 11th December

In between the icy showers, James managed a goose count, on the reserve at Gruinart

Barnacle geese  8,305

Whitefronts       251

Other birds seen included the following,

White tailed eagles         4 Juv/sub ad all at the same time (3 all together on salt marsh looked like juvs and 1 on Flats looked to be 2-3 calendar year)

Little egret                        1 (there is another at Bridgend)

Whooper Swans            8

Lapwing              511

Dunlin                380

Woodcock          1

Bullfinch             1

This morning, up here at home, Margaret saw a male Hen Harrier, flying low over the garden about 2 metres above the ground and only at about 25 metres away from the house. Later on, she saw a Golden Eagle soaring out over the crag. I had a Merlin fly along the road in front of me this afternoon, as I was driving down from home towards the Coastguard's cottages.