Nice and Icy

This last week or so has seen a spell of cold wintry weather throughout the country.There has been snowfall in some parts but Lancashire has escaped the worst of the weather.I have managed a couple of trips out with the camera.The first one was on a nice sunny crisp afternoon when I toured the lanes and backroads around Cockerham and Pilling photographing the scenery and wildlife from the comfort of the car.The following day I visited Leighton Moss hoping for a sighting of the otters on the ice.

The drive around the lanes was fruitful with nice views of brown hare, kestrel,lapwing and late on my first sighting for a while of a barn owl.The barn owl was returning to it's barn with a vole and I managed a few images as the light was fading.There were good numbers of fieldfare and redwing in the fields but they were very skittish and I couldn't get near enough for a decent shot.

The trip to Leighton Moss was less fruitful but still enjoyable.The otters had been seen early on but didn't show themselves whilst I was there.There was hardly any open water and consequently few birds on show.I amused myself with the birds visiting the feeders by the main buildings.On the way to and from the Public Hide there were a few very friendly robins which would come readily onto your hand for seed.On the ice at the Public Hide a waterhen looking for some open water slithered and slipped across the ice providing nice opportunities for the camera.All in all a good week with crisp and bright weather and good to get out and about again.

Shown above the robin and waterhen from a frozen Leighton Moss and kestrel,lapwing,brown hare and barn owl from the Pilling area.The image heading the blog is a shot across the estuary of the River Lune to Sunderland Point with the snow covered mountains of the Lake District in the background.Thanks for looking in and more hopefully to come soon from my travels through Lancashire.