Jack Snipe 1 Goosander 3 females Yellowhammer 1 Snipe 3 Nuthatch 1 Pochard 3 Tufted Duck 15 Teal 2 Little Grebe 1 Kingfisher 1 Siskin 60 Lesser Redpolls 10 Goldfinch 60 Fieldfare 1Cormorant 4 I went down to the edge of the ditch in the SW corner in order to see along it and almost stood on the Jack Snipe. Frustratingly I saw it on the ground about half a second before it flew, but too late to stop myself putting my foot down. If I'd been just that fraction of a second faster, you'd now be looking at fabulous photos of a Jack Snipe! This is the first time I've seen a snipe of any description in the ditch this winter, but I suppose that like the Water Rail, the unfrozen ditch is the best bet at the moment. The Common Snipe flew over the field behind. Yellowhammer is a good bird at the mere these days, only my 5th record here since the turn of this century. Year 101
It's not very often I get to Eccleston Mere first, but judging by the lack of footprints in the snow, it seems that I managed it today.
Cormorants and Goosander. In breeding plumage Cormorants are every bit as spectacular as any other bird. Birds with so much white on the head are quite unusual at the mere, and I did wonder if it might be the continental race
sinensis. However,
sinensis is said to be smaller than the British race
carbo, at times almost to the point of being confusable with a Shag, though there is overlap. This bird looks to be similar size to the other bird in the photo. Apparently the most diagnostic feature (though still not completely reliable) is the angle of the gular patch (throat skin), which is >76 deg and usually >90 deg on
sinensis and <65 deg on
carbo. Those which fall within the 66-75 deg range are probably unidentifiable and may be hybrids. My photos aren't good enough to be completely certain, but the angle looks less than 90 deg to me, and combined with the large size, may suggest that this bird is actually
carbo, probably an old bird. Or perhaps it's just snow on it's head...... There's an interesting article
here about identifying
sinensis, and a discussion about these particular birds
here.
Dunno..... less than 90 deg for sure, but perhaps near enough to 90 to be
sinensis?
It's not very often I get to Eccleston Mere first, but judging by the lack of footprints in the snow, it seems that I managed it today. 
Cormorants and Goosander. In breeding plumage Cormorants are every bit as spectacular as any other bird. Birds with so much white on the head are quite unusual at the mere, and I did wonder if it might be the continental race sinensis. However, sinensis is said to be smaller than the British race carbo, at times almost to the point of being confusable with a Shag, though there is overlap. This bird looks to be similar size to the other bird in the photo. Apparently the most diagnostic feature (though still not completely reliable) is the angle of the gular patch (throat skin), which is >76 deg and usually >90 deg on sinensis and <65 deg on carbo. Those which fall within the 66-75 deg range are probably unidentifiable and may be hybrids. My photos aren't good enough to be completely certain, but the angle looks less than 90 deg to me, and combined with the large size, may suggest that this bird is actually carbo, probably an old bird. Or perhaps it's just snow on it's head...... There's an interesting article here about identifying sinensis, and a discussion about these particular birds here. 
Dunno..... less than 90 deg for sure, but perhaps near enough to 90 to be sinensis?
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