Saturday 10th December 2011

A single flock of 80 Cormorants flying out to sea over the obs had presumably spent the night at Loompit Lake before going out to feed. Sea movements apart from Cormorants and a handful of Red-throated Divers was almost non-existent. A couple of Siskins, Goldies & a Mipit went south with a walk around the site producing a couple of Sanderling and Turnstone plus 11 Snow Buntings. A Reed Bunting was a bit more unexpected.

Friday 9th February 2011

Flying visit late afternoon only. Noticed 7 Meds scrounging from fishermen on the beach out the front & all 4 Red-legs (the entire population) hoovering up under the bird feeders in the helli. That i am afraid is it for today's paltry coverage. If anyone out there was here today and have any records for the log today then please drop us a line to landguardbo@yahoo.co.uk and i will add them to the log.

Thursday 8th December 2011

Entertaining offshore with a decent southerly movement of birds mostly reasonably close inshore including 333 Teal, 247 Common Scoter, 22 Wigeon, 13 Shelduck, 10 Brents, 7 Goldeneye, 5 Gannet, 4 Knot, 3 Gadwal, 3 Barwit, 3 Mergansers, Red-throated Divers, Tufted Duck, Grey Plover, Curlew, Great-crested Grebe & Snipe. Going north were 7 Common Scoter, 2 Guillimots, 2 Red-throated Divers, Little Auk & Pom Skua. Not bad at all for early December.

Wednesday 7th December 2011

A handful of Ringos, Turnstones & a Sanderling on the beach's plus 8 Goldfinch's going south (will autumn passage ever end for this species ?). Next to nothing going past offshore and as it's now a cool north-westerly gusting to force 8 it's time to abandon ship. Moth traps packed away for the winter this morning.

Tuesday 6th December 2011

A Harrier picked out a long way offshore to the north-east of us eventually drifted south just off the point and turned out to be a young male Hen Harrier. Nice brisk sunny mornings are great but they make the identification of distant birds in the sun difficult ! Also on the move pre 9am were 2 Great-crests south (plus another siting just off the beach), 4 Shelduck, Grey Plover & Oyk south plus a few Red-throats and Cormorants going back & forth in the distance. 17 Goldfinchs & 6 Siskins went south overhead in what should surely be the end of autumn passage (or is this cold weather movements ?). The rest of the morning then spent with on site maintenance.

Monday 5th December 2011

Brief observations staring out to sea early on produced 7 Shelduck, Goldeneye, Common Scoter and Oyk going south & then it was down to a morning of on site maintenance in an increasingly colder westerly wind.

Sunday 4th December 2011

A Peregrine steaming along offshore homed in on a Little Auk but fortunately for the Little Auk it missed ! It never seems to amaze me how raptors pick out the lost waifs and strays - or do they just fancy a change in diet ? Later in the morning a female Marsh Harrier went south offshore. We seem to be getting a run of Marsh Harriers going south lately. Traditionally they all went south for the winter but with milder winters large numbers have not been bothering - has a couple of cold spells over the last two winters forced some of them to change their mind and resort to old ways ? Also offshore Pom Skua loitering, 8 Common Scoter south, Guillemot north plus plenty of Cormorants coming and going. A new female Sparrowhawk trapped in the Helli missed her intended prey but was a well fed chunky beast so she knows how to look after herself.