Monday, 3rd February: A cold and very frosty start with some sunshine early on, in a fairly light SE breeze 2-3. Then becoming grey and quite murky, with some drizzly dampness by early afternoon.
Elmer Rocks: A short sea-watch and a look along the beach at low tide produced very little and it soon became clear I wouldn't be making a lengthy visit. A few gulls and a couple of Gannets were distantly offshore around a fishing boat, whilst around the rockpools a group of about 35 Mediterranean Gulls and two Oystercatchers were about it! The flooded area of the arable field behind the beach held a Grey Wagtail, whilst a single Song Thrush was in full song and a Great Spotted Woodpecker was distantly drumming, but with so little to show for my efforts it was time to move on.
Grey Wagtail in the flooded field behind the beach and Mediterranean Gulls feeding along Elmer beach at low tide
Ancton & Elmer: A visit to the Lane End paddocks area and local woods produced two Greenfinch, two Green Woodpeckers and a Great Spotted Woodpecker, plus a few Pied Wagtails and Meadow Pipits in the fields, but though it was generally quiet, the highlight was a mixed flock of 30+ Fieldfares with 70 Starlings in the tree tops for a while.
(above) Green Woodpecker and (below) Great Spotted Woodpecker at Ancton paddocks
(above) mixed flock of Fieldfares and Starlings and (below) Fieldfares at Ancton
Sunday, 2nd February: A cold, dry start but becoming pleasantly bright and sunny as the day progressed, with a fairly light SSE breeze and high pressure building.
Hotham Park: An early start, though I was a bit surprised at the number of walkers about, but fortunately there was a bit of birding interest. A Firecrest was the first bird of note, followed by a Green Woodpecker, a singing Song Thrush and then a pair of Coal Tits obviously pairing up, with the male singing and chasing around. A Great Spotted Woodpecker was drumming, then two pairs of Stock Doves were calling frequently and displaying. There were plenty of Blue and Great Tits, but the highlight for me was the Nuthatch that spent its time almost evading me. This latter species may be commoner inland, but it is decidedly scarce on the coast and within my 5Km patch, so it is always a welcome addition to a year list! (I still haven't yet caught up with Treecreeper here though).
Stock Doves at Hotham Park this morning whilst (bottom) a sought after Nuthatch - well, half of it anyway - which finally showed briefly after it kept evading me!
Lidsey WTW & area: Around the floods and small reservoir were 70 Gadwall, 15 Teal and a Little Grebe, with a Cetti's Warbler calling nearby. Chiffchaffs were still present in good numbers around the trees and hedgerows surrounding the WTW and I logged at least 30. There was little else though and I was just about to leave, when a notably pale bird, which immediately stood out from the rest, was located in a thick hedge at the back of the oil field, opposite the Works. Suspecting it might be a 'Siberian Chiffchaff' I put in an hour or so, trying to get any sort of photo and also scrutinising it for critical detail, before eventually deciding it was indeed of that form.
Common Chiffchaff (above) in the hedge along Lidsey WTW, whilst (below) four images of the putative Siberian Chiffchaff. It was a bit of a nightmare trying to get any sort of photo as it preferred to stay in a dense hedge and was very active.
Saturday, 1st February: An overcast, grey day with a decidedly chilly SSE wind force 3-4, though remaining dry.
Elmer Rocks: It was, as expected, a fairly slow day with not too much moving, but there were a few bit and pieces of interest. A total of ten Red-throated Divers were logged (7E & 3W), and two other distant and unidentified diver sp going west were also probably Red-throated. At least ten Red-breasted Mergansers were also offshore, moving back and forth, whilst two Brent Geese spent a good while loafing on the sea off Poole Place, before eventually flying inland.
The were plenty of the commoner gulls along the shoreline and on the sea, including c.40 Mediterranean and six Common Gulls, then as the tide was rising a loose flock of 21 Oystercatchers flew in to rest on the rock islands for a while.
Away from the sea, Song Thrushes were the most conspicuous birds of the morning and on my circuit around the fields and woods behind the beach I logged six birds, four of which were singing stridently as they sense the lengthening daylight hours. Two rival birds in particular were giving it some volume around the set-aside and hedges near Poole Place, prompting a couple of local folks to enquire of me what birds they were, and a couple of Chaffinches there were also making their presence felt. A small flock of Long-tailed Tits were also present in the area and a drumming Great Spotted Woodpecker was again in the woods.
Song Thrush at its singing post in Elmer woods behind the beach - one of at least half a dozen present this morning - perhaps spring is not too far away!
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