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Typical senario here over the last few weeks: sunshine and snow clouds! Shelduck are starting to put in an appearance on the mudflats - 22nd February SongThrush and Great Spotted Woodpecker are becoming regular visitors to the Hamlet gardens - 22nd February. Song Thrush with a liking...

Mixed flock of Barnacles and Pinkfeet spread out along the channel of the R. Wampool at Anthorn. Today started off with hazy sunshine after a night of frost – no wind at all! We had to go to Kirkbride, so decided to make a virtue of a necessity, namely searching for swans and geese. In this...

Tantalising view of geese across the flooded meadows. We had been aware for a few days that there was goose activity back over on the Reserve and local prominent birders, after much hard work, had estimated that there were in excess of 10.000 Pinkfeet on the Solway. So, in the middle of the afternoon...

Barnacles flocks in snow at Cardurnock The weathermen had been quite precise with their forecast with snow at low level followed by sleet turning to rain. So on awakening to a world of white, I said to Judith, “I'll get the van ready while you get your camera stuff together. We can look...

Today was the last day of the high tide series here on the Solway and we seem to have escaped any serious flooding. The weather people had been forecasting high winds, rain and lots of floods coupled with the high Spring tides. All in all, we had the perfect storm in the making - but it just didn't...

Maryland farm on the very edge of the saltmarsh, overlooking the Pool - after a night of snow. The hamlet of Cardurnock - a small farming community that makes its living from grazing sheep and cattle on the wide estuary pastures. These are the little black and white Barnacle Geese that return...

Snow on the Scottish Hills viewed from Campfield Marsh - 22 1 13 The depth of winter this year at Campfield has been decidedly undramatic, whilst the rest of the country, if TV is to be believed, has suffered under continents of snow and ice, blocked roads, closed schools and more sledging than you...

Whoopers on Meadow Pools at dawn - 12th January 2013 The gentle pulsing of the alarm broke into my slumbers, although I have to say, we seldom use an alarm these days – but today would be special! We had pre-planned a very early morning foray onto the Reserve here at North Plain, as we knew...

New Year's Day was crisp and sunny. Here are a few of the birds which put in an appearance today. Early morning now frequent visitors to the saltmarsh. Oystercatchers had been giving aerial displays as the tide came in at noon. The small Barnacle flock had stayed to graze. A pair...

A group of up to 24 Shelduck could be seen regularly out on the mudflats.

Rough seas coupled with high tides were pushing large groups of Oystercatchers up onto the saltmarsh to wait it out. These were viewed from the marsh edge road.

A digital oil-style painting of a group of Pinks by John Rogers

A small flock of Pinkfeet flew into wet meadows in front of the hide on North Plain Farm.

24 Pinks came in to land on wet meadows in front of the hide

Flock of Pinkfeet having just landed on wet meadows in front of the hide, North Plain Farm.

Two Spoonbills circled several times over the Meadow Pool, North Plain Farm, Campfield Marsh RSPB Reserve at 11.50 am. The seemed interested in landing but the pool was already full of Whooper Swans and Wigeon. so the flew off to find another pool elsewhere...

One of two Spoonbills which circled several times over the Meadow Pool on Campfield Marsh RSPB Reserve at 11.50 am

Taken about 1700 hours as the tide was falling back. Were they trying to cross into Scotland? For discussion see Forum