It was a bitterly cold morning at New Passage on the Severn Estuary and even though the sun broke through it remained cold. However, testing my constitution and my stoicism I spent a happy morning watching the waders on Northwick Warth. I did walk along to see what was on the Pilning Wetlands but I was looking in to the light (the sun hadn’t really broken through by then) and didn’t see much.

Regular birders spotting from New Passage probably didn’t even feel the cold

This Brent goose caused most excitement amongst the savants

There were huge flocks of wigeon and sizeable numbers of curlew, oystercatchers, dunlin, redshank and Canada geese. The regular birders were very excited by a Brent Goose (the first there this year) and some Whooper Swans which flew over.

Large numbers of curlew and oystercatchers

Redshank

I was pleased to get some close ups of wigeon in flight which I doubt would have impressed the local birders.

Plenty of Canada geese 

Wigeon (whistling) everywhere

Oystercatchers

Dunlin

Wigeon in flight

And if everything seems rather far away there are always house sparrows to photograph.

Click below for gallery of photos from this morning: