No 144: Shelduck

Honest! Look just behind the Canada goose in the very centre of the shot, and yes, I am getting desperate. We decided to call in at Broomhill Flash on our way to RSPB Old Moor today. I was delighted to be informed that there was a shelduck easily spottable from the hide. One problem: it was sitting on the ice with its head under its wing. Half an hour later, it had not moved a muscle. Then it stood up, but still facing away from us. Then in flew a large flock of Canada geese making their usual amount of noise and flapping wildly. Shelduck unmoved. Eventually it began to swim about amongst the geese and was almost impossible to pick out. This was the last chance I had to pick it out before a large bank of freezing fog moved in. We continued on to Old Moor but the fog persisted. There were lots of small birds around the feeders: chaffinch, bullfinch, greenfinch, brambling, tree sparrows, yellowhammer and reed bunting, but out on the meres, there was very little to be seen except for a very grumpy sparrowhawk perched on a fence post eyeing up a couple of swans. Everything looked quite eery in the freezing fog and thick hoar frost. It wasn't too long before we retreated to the cafe for a bowl of hot soup and a drive home before it went dark. Six to go.