Socks and Books and Rock and Roll

The spray cascaded onto the young Herring Gulls on the breakwater as Storm Bella’s first gusts swept over Southport Marine Lake.
Sail surfers, or whatever they are, whizzed over the northern end, and meant there wasn’t much else on the water apart from the usual Mute Swans, Little Grebes, Coot and Gadwall.
A bubble-headed female Goldeneye was distant between the two islands as I scanned from the shelter at the top before heading to Marshside.

The strengthening wind saw most things hunkering down, but the raptors were as reliable as ever on the outer marsh – a fine male Hen Harrier, hassling a dozing Common Buzzard before sailing off north towards Banks, two Common Buzzard, two Merlin, Kestrel and two Peregrines dancing about above the sewage works.
Two Great White Egrets – one on Crossens Outer and one further out on the saltmarsh, but geese were thin on the ground, apart from the ever-growing infestation of Canada Geese beyond Crossens Outer.
700+ Golden Plover, and at least 500 Lapwing on Crossens Inner, leaning into the chilly wind, but it was cold and the light was failing.
Grey as this most awful of periods of the year between Christmas and New Year often is….nature abhors a vaccuum.