Utter madness

Not sure that it was ever in doubt? Yet today's escapades must confirm, once and for all, that I ain't too tightly wrapped! The forecast was for gale force NE winds, heavy rain and plummeting temperatures, so absolutely perfect for a session, at the farm reservoir, after the Carp - NOT !! Thankfully it is possible to get the van very close to the swims, thus getting set-up isn't a major trauma. Being well prepared, I had the Groundhog brolly in situ before getting the rest of my kit to the chosen swim. The weather gods must have taken pity on me as I was able to get both rods fishing before any heavy rain started to fall. It was Matt Hayes centrepins on the Duncan Kay's today, ably assisted by the Nash "Bushwhacker" baiting pole. My previous three sessions have seen me using my Okuma CBBF 5000's which, I must admit, have performed very well.

Baits in the water before 07.25 hrs, it was just ten minutes later that I missed the only bite of the session! I remained on the bank until mid-day, why? Despite the foul conditions, it was quite an enjoyable session due to the shelter provided by the Groundhog, plenty of clothing and a flask of coffee. I even managed to add another four species to my self-found list which was most surprising. Stock Dove and Common Snipe should have already been ticked, yet a pair of Goosander was unexpected and the adult Kittiwake, which was spotted swimming around the pond, completely surreal. Sadly, this bird was not in good health and had died before I left the venue. Bird Flu?

The very sorry looking adult Kittiwake

Huge numbers of Lapwings were on the flooded fields, surrounding the fishery, along with a good number of Curlew, assorted Gulls and a lone Redshank. As is so typical of any winter session, a Robin was in close attendance looking for scraps right under the rods. So close that my long lens was unable to focus and I had to use the 18-55mm option in order to get any images.

Not too much else to report, from a fishing perspective. The nocturnal feeding stations continue to provide entertainment. A vixen is now a regular visitor, although there is no pattern to the time when she comes to the garden. A lone Hedgehog was seen, at the fox bowl, a few nights ago which, on looking at my photos, had quite a large infestation of ticks. Although I've not seen it since, I'm hopeful that should it return I will be able to capture it and get it to a local charity where they will treat the animal, for these blood sucking parasites, before releasing back into the wild.

Ticks are visible just beneath the ear and there were many more on the other side.