"Coldest winter for 40 years," I had read.

   It may be cold, in fact very cold, but at least today was sunny.  The blue sky and brilliant sunshine made me think that the pain would be worth enduring, and so I headed out for a five mile walk hoping to find something that would vindicate my decision to go where no one in his right mind had gone before - at least today:  The Wenyu river and the fields and trees that skirt it.

   When you have low expectations, you are not often disappointed!  But, even if it had been a mild winter's day, I don't think I would have enjoyed myself as much.  

   Today was full of surprises:  I saw far more birds than I had thought possible (20 species in all).  Not only that, I managed to get okay shots of 8 species that I had not photographed before this year:  a wintering Green Sandpiper (hey, do yourself a favour, fly south before it's too late); an eastern race Water Pipit (Anthus spinoletta blakistoni); a Grey-capped Pygmy Woodpecker (3 birds); a Siberian Meadow Bunting (ssp weigoldi); a pair of Mallards (don't mock, they actually look quite good in flight against the snow); Oriental Greenfinch (2 birds), a Marsh Tit (ssp hellmayri?), and even a wren (which stretches my "not bad" photo-acceptance criterion to the limit... but it was 50 yards away, and it's the first time I've photographed that species in China).

   There's talk of going to see some Pallas's Sandgrouse at the weekend.  Now that would certainly warm me up.   Watch this space.

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