I spent most of today on 'the other side of the hill', by which I mean Eastbourne which is a 20 mile drive from here along the coast. There was no sign of any snow at all. Driving across the downs, the hills were still heavily laden with snow for about 6 or 7 miles. Then absolutely no sign of any snow whatsoever.
I stopped off at one of my regular haunts, Seven Sisters (near Seaford and about 2/3rds of the way to Eastbourne) where I got some pictures of a cormorant (can't get away from them), a swan (always nice to see), and a lapwing (always very nice to see even from a distance).
At lunchtime, in Eastbourne, I ventured out to the local hills to the start of the South Downs Way, a 100 mile trail from Eastbourne to Winchester. 
There wasn't too much to see (overcast, cold day), but it looks promising as an area to explore over the coming months when I can. It did provide my first sighting for some considerable time of a redwing, as well as a female kestrel out hunting.
Camera note: all shots taken with the Canon 7D and EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L USM IS lens.
derWandersmann
26 Jan 2013Bad links, Words.
Nice kestrel.
Queerly, last night I saw a short bit on the telly of a couple walking the Eastbourne-to-Winchester Trail in the Great Trespass. Prettier weather than this, of course, but as for myself, I'd as lief do it in the cold and damp than the Summer heat.
Words
26 Jan 2013dW, whoops… link fixed. Thanks for spotting that! Cold crisp days are probably the best for these kind of walks, and perfect when there is some winter sunshine. It doesn't take long to build up some warmth, as long as it's dry. A hot summer would be quite nice though. It's a long while since we've had one of those.
SittingFox
26 Jan 2013Maybe the cormorants are following you around the coast :right:
Words
27 Jan 2013Adele, spooky! But they're probably saying the same thing about me.