Our birding Photo Challenge creeps on at snail's pace

The Safari saw that the Waxwings were still hanging around some berry laden trees alongside the main road in to town the other day so we had  a quick run up there at lunchtime passing a Rook (55) foraging on a grassy roadside verge on the way.

We spotted them in the tall Poplar trees as soon as we pulled up but the light was awful on a grey dismal drizzly day. Before long they flew down into the berried Whitebeam trees which were much shorter and offered a better angle but before we could get the camera to them a passing pedestrian came by and spooked them making them fly up the road towards town. We waited a good few minutes but they didn't return. Nothing for it as lunchtime quickly ebbed away but to drive back to work the way the Waxwings went and there they were sat up in a tree in a garden about 300 yards up the road.

We threw the car in to the nearby DIY store and jumped out with the camera to try to get a few yards closer.

They came down to one of the two scratty Rowan trees by the side of the car park and we were able to get just one slightly better shot.

Great to get Waxwings (56) on the year list and in the Photo Challenge album.  Lucky too as they haven't been seen in town since that day. While we were chatting to FB, who'd driven up for a quick look at the Waxwings, a Pied Wagtail (57) flew over us.

A quick stop at the waste depot on the way back to the office revealed very few gulls and certainly not the Iceland Gull, more's the pity/

In the afternoon the sun came out and we were able to have a wander on the beach where we got some nice pics of already spotted species for our Photo Challenge.

Redshanks

Redshank and Turnstone

And back on the seawall someone had left a huge pile of left over probably stale crackers but Turnstones will eat almost anything.

Great Black Backed Gull

Oystercatcher

 There were a few Sanderlings down on the water's edge too.

But perhaps the best thing we found wasn't a bird but a large lump of sea-coal, the biggest we've ever found anywhere ever.

A Carrion Crow on the work's lawn became our 29th species for the Photo Challenge.

All good stuff but sadly nothing added on a very windy day today although a Goldcrest (58) was heard while out with Monty, the Peregrine was on the tower and the Magpie roost in the park is up to at least 100 now.

Where to next? Apparently there's some snow on the way, that might shuffle things round a bit.
In the meantime let us know who's dodging the waves in your outback.