Freezing Cold Edge & Cooler Copley

    I Payed a visit to DS yesterday and then took a walk around
    Shroggs Park but wish I'd of gone up to Fly Flatts to see the
    Whooper Swans, plenty of LTT's and Great and Blue Tits and
    the regular Blackbird and Robin.

      I then decided on a trip up to Ringby Lane but nothing much to
      see, 8 Meadow Pipits, Buzzard high up, the normal Crows & Gulls and
      a couple of House Sparrows which is a rare event around here.

         Garden had Goldfinch, Greenfinch, Chaffinch, Collared Dove & Jackdaw.

          Today I met up with Dave P with the intention of going to Swillington
          Ings but with the biting cold wind we decided on staying local it was
          still freezing though, our first port of call was to Fly Flatts to see the
          Whooper Swans but there was no sign of them, next to Nolstar but same
          again nothing, we then popped down to Castle Carr Rd which ended up
          being a good choice as soon as we got out of the car we saw a Kestrel
          flying over and then a flock of Starlings with 10 Fieldfare mixed in with
          them but too far away for photo's, we then drove to the far end where we
          spotted a Sparrowhawk posing on a fence post, I was gutted as my camera
          just wouldn't focus and the bird posed for us again further on but again
          camera wouldn't have it and Dave P found it highly amusing but what a
          bird it was so close we could have touched it.

          We then drove up to Cold Edge Dams where there were 100's of Canada's
          and Lapwings We'd never seen as many there, Dave got his scope out and
          he spotted a Barnacle Goose and 2 Redwing and I then spotted another
          Barnacle so the day was getting better all the time and so was the cold,
          We then saw 2 Oystercatchers in the same field at a far distance and a
          Cormorant flew overhead, we then drove up to skiing lake where we
          saw 2 Mistle Thrush, 2 Red Grouse and another Cormorant, the Dams
          produced just Gulls and Mallards also 8 Greylag Geese.

       In the afternoon I went to Copley Woods while the wife was visiting a friend
       and Im so glad I did as I got 2 firsts for the year a Treecreeper and a Dipper,
       Blue, Great and LTT's were in the trees a Pied Wagtail was down by the river
       but didn't stay long and 4 Mallard, 2 Buzzard were high over head so it ended
       up being a decent day.