π΄σ §σ ’σ ³σ £σ ΄σ Ώ Friday 9th December 2022 ❄️π¨️ 0C ~ Wind WNW @ 6MPH ~ My first visit on the home patch since arriving back from Spain. The snow came on Wednesday and has been on and off since, in fact, the final half hour of my visit today was completed in heavy snow.
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| The River Don from Kemnay Bridge ~ Normal level (left) and recent flood level (right) |
I began at Dalmadilly Ponds and from here a look down onto the River Don below. While we were in Spain Kemnay was subject to some severe flooding and a neighbour was good enough to send me a few photos of the flood, taken from Kemnay Bridge. Although we are situated just a 5-minute walk from the river, thankfully we live at the top of a hill so escaped without issue.
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| This first-winter drake Goldeneye crashlands at Dalmadilly. |
I checked out both ponds at Dalmadilly today and the highlight was (5) Goldeneye on the large pool, which was made up of two drakes, a first-winter drake and two females and (2) females on the small pool.
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| A Little Grebe dwarfed by a female Goldeneye |
With the islands currently underwater the only other species of note was a single Little Grebe and a dozen or so Mallards. Strangely for the ponds no sign of any Tufted Ducks which are usually into double figures here during the winter.
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| Redwing |
It was difficult underfoot today with the hard snow crunching away as I walked and anything of interest was likely to be well flushed. That said a nice flock of (11) Long-tailed Tits with (3) Blue Tits and a Coal Tit mingled in. Circa (50) Pink-footed Geese flew southeast, plus a flock of around (30) Fieldfare. Redwings were mostly feeding on the surrounding fields and from my viewpoint down onto the River Don, (5) Goosander, single Little Grebe and (2) Mute Swans.
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