3rd Feb -0 frost last night -6C. sunny am, sunny periods pm, slowly warming 5C, light-mod SW

Stanford reservoir; a look here after lunch, hoping for the Pink-footed Geese that were seen this morning and have been associating with the Grey Lag Goose flock for the last couple of weeks, but evading me.  Then Grey Lag flock was mostly on an adjacent cereal field feeding, after a while of scanning through ther flock the Pink-Feet were found.  They seemed to be walking a little oddly, then I realised it was because the thawing soil was sticking to their feet and they had to shake it off.

The reservoir was frozen over at both ends and the bay but the central area was free water and the wildfowl etc was concentrated there.  Pochard numbers were good, c60 Teal, 47 Shoveler, c 30 Gadwall and 12 Goosander. No Goldeneye seen today though.  A few Great-crested Grebes and a single Little Grebe.

A few Redwing and Fieldfare were feeding along the by-pass path.  A Green Sandpiper was feeding at the outflow spillway.   Over the far side to me I spotted a Great Egret searching along the waters edge, earlier a Grey Heron was present too.

By the time I left it seemed more free water was present, and hopefully the reservoir will soon be completely ice free.