Kicking off the New Year with 60

Well I made it out fairly early for a New Years day ,the first bird seen a Blackbird as I walked home in the early morning as it was still dark, got sorted and was out ,first stop the stubble field Snow Buntings flying around within seconds also a large flock of  Yellowhammers,Tree Sparrows Greefinch & Reed Bunting ,(Yellowhammers)some years I have found these hard to get in the early days of the year ,next stop Marden Quarry took about twenty minutes to get the Lesser Scaup with Goosander as a bonus . Desert Wheatear the next port of call ,parked at the power station I was the  only car but when I got to the beach I could see about a dozen birders tracking the bird along the beach much nearer Newbiggin, great I thought going to have to leg it right along the beach , a guy coming towards me asked is there something around ,yes a Desert Wheatear I said but its right along there ,but as luck would have it just as I said it the bird dropped in about 30' away  so there I was standing looking right down on it as it sat on the cliff side ,luckily I had brought the camera not thinking I would get to use it ,what a little star.

Headed further up the coast checked the Geese at Woodhorn most over a small rise no sign of the Bean Goose but White-fronts just over the hill , next stop Cresswell  checking fields for geese as I drove along, most of the Pinks where a field over from the road checked the few I could see, a helicopter over put the lot up but instead of them heading off they circled and most landed in the field near the road , I picked out some Bean and White-fronts as they first landed all with heads up but as the fed it was hard to find them , a Pinkfoot with a neck collar noted as IVD waiting for info on it, swing your scope round 180  and you could scan the finch flock which had mostly Linnets with Greenfinch ,Goldfinch, Chaffinch and some Twite . Stopped at Cresswell on the way back three Short -eared Owls near the car park two settled along the hedge before they all disappeared, also a pair of Stonechats nearby. Second last stop of the day back at the windmill to look over the ash lagoon but no sign of any SEO's , so the last stop of the day checking the geese out as they where now more in the open, picked out the Tundra  Bean Goose, and the four White -fronts of the Greenland race, so even though it was still light I was frozen stiff and unable to think where I could get anything new for the day I headed home , great start to the New Year 364 days left to go birding this year  !! 

 Lesser Scaup always gives itself up eventually ,but why is it always dull here

I digiscoped this one as it was some way off , so I thought  better get something before it disappears

 There must be several thousand Gigs of photos of  this bird around , so obliging for the patient  !!!

 That Alula is still dropped somewhat

Neck Collared Pinkfoot IVD

 Short Eared Owl hunting the dunes at Cresswell

 Not the best of shots this but I do like the look of concentration !!

 Another shot which looks a little odd as you can hardly see the left wing

These shots are actually the wrong way around as the bottom photo is with the camera ,I then set up my scope and took this , but trying to get the twigs out of the frame I moved just to far and it was off.

Stonechats  working the wall as I went back to the car

Tundra Bean Goose Woodhorn the White -fronts just too far.