End of year odds and ends

 As the nights get longer, the days darker, the air wetter and the wind colder; I find I've less inclination to venture forth.

I have still visited the local, and not so local, countryside a few times though and will try to give a flavour of that here.

Clevedon Pier is justifiably famous for being rescued by local voluntary efforts and looked after in the same fashion.

Birders know it as a regular site for Black Redstart. We thought that a single female had been returning for about 4 years but a closer look at the tail with tiny black tips suggests its a young bird and so may have been up to 4 different individuals.

Next year I will learn how to hold my camera steady but until then, here is some more wavy video

Up at the Yeo we have had a few geese but, sadly no Whitefronts or Beans as seen elsewhere in the country. Instead we have Canadas, with a bonus of 2 Brents and 4 Egyptian geese

This Wren showed much better than the Dartford warbler, that I found recently in the very same bush:

Further afield I enjoyed the pattern made by this male Teal at the levels

and whilst childminding I visited Sibleyback reservoir with my grandson and bumped into the two wintering Ring-necked Ducks

Hopefully I will get out again before the end of the year but obviously, it remains to be seen whether I bump into anything worth blogging about.

In the meantime, Happy Christmas and a much improved New Year.