Early January

The start of the New Year 2009

Very few birds reported in North Cumbria in the first two weeks of January, presumably a reflection of the change from cold and frost to windy and wet.
The only Waxwings were 28 reported from Cockermouth on the 8/1/09.
A Great Gey Shrike was found on the 4/1/09 at Chamot hill near Penton right up in the north of the County.
On the Solway there were 2 groups of Twite I saw 11 at Port Carlisle on New Year day with Greenshank also there and 50 Twite were reported at Cardurnock on the 3/1/09. 200 Whooper Swans were still in a big herd at Newton Arlosh also on the 3/1/09.
North Plain pools were deserted as they froze early in the month but the thaw meant duck numbers had risen considerably by the 12/1/09 with 56 Pintail and good numbers of Shoveler, Teal and Widgeon, a Peregrine was also present. While a walk round Grune Point with a very high tide on the same day saw Long Tailed Duck with about 25 Scaup, 10 Grey Plover, Barn Owl and unusually 2 Whooper Swans on the sea.
Inland I was delighted to find a drake Smew on Talkin Tarn on the 4/1/09 though it was always fairly distant, it remained until 10/1/09 when it moved to nearby Tindale Tarn. 2 Scaup were also present on Talkin Tarn on the 7/1/09 but Goosander numbers dropped right off while the hard weather partially froze the tarn but had returned to 25 on the 9/1/09



The low water at the beginning of the month meant a Green Sandpiper was present at Carr Beds on the 1/1/09 and the 7/1/09 but the rising water as everything thawed meant it was not seen subsequently.