The weather was really bad in November with non stop rain but, undeterred, we changed plans and set off for Martin Mere. However to our advantage there were very few people and we had the hides to ourselves.

The swan feeding rounded off the day.

The trip to New Brighton, Park Gates and Burton Mere (briefly) was eventful. High tide in the morning brought in purple sandpipers, sanderlings, turnstones and a variety of gulls. Purple sandpipers are rarely seen as they are hidden in rocks in limited areas. A variety of ducks and geese were spotted at Burton Marshes including the colourful shovellers.

In December some enjoyed a meal at John Millington to celebrate our birding experiences.

The usual January trip to Martin Mere was successful with crisp sunny weather and plenty of bird species on the feeders.

Birding trips have rarely been cancelled during my 25 years with the bird group but with storms arriving on our shores it it has been necessary recently.

We had a very successful outing at Pennington Flash in March. It was pouring with rain when we left home. First stop at Pennington was the cafe for coffee and cake? by which time the rain had ceased. Then what a treat. The birds came out to feed and we counted 30 species throughout the visit. We saw golden eye on the lake as we set off for the bird hide At the feeding station the bullfinches were delightful in their bright red plumage and we saw the rare willow tit. The nuthatches put on a lovely display chasing off the blue tits and chaffinches.

We hope to have many more visits like these but there are times when very little is seen as the birds do not want to come out and play. The bird population has been hit with Avian flu and the population has decreased somewhat. This has affected our bird watching as some species have been decimated. However we continue to enjoy our days out with good company and hopefully good bird sightings.