Saturday 14th December 2013

Glorious sunny morning. When the morning's highlight is a Linnet going south you just know you are in those mid-December doldrums - say no more !

Friday 13th December 2013

Grounds maintenance up till rain stopped play. A brief time starring out produced 2 Common Scoter north plus going south 2 Red-throated Diver, 2 Shelduck & a Great-crested Grebe.

Thursday 12th December 2013

Cracking morning. Only migrants were 2 Mistle Thrush & a Mipit south. Offshore 2 Shoveler south was the only sighting worth mentioning.

Wednesday 11th December 2013

Glorious sunny, but frosty, start to the morning with banks of fog inland of us. Very few birds to disturb us. A flock of 90 Cormorants went out to sea and 7 Brent, 2 Shelduck & a Redshank went south. After which it's all a bit predictable with a couple of Sanderling and Turnstone on the shore & next to nothing on the reserve. Still a couple of Linnets and a Mipit lingering on site but we now need a change in the weather to liven things up a bit or this blog will become as tedious for you to read as it is for me to write !

Tuesday 10th December 2013

Foggy/murky start which obviously delayed the Cormorants leaving the roost up river as 173 were counted flying out to sea early on. Glorious winter sunshine followed which meant Mr & Mrs Peregrine and Mr & Mrs Little Owl were out sunning themselves. A Little Egret came out of the river over the obs then north and 3 Mipits & 3 Skylark went south. A Black Redstart appeared in the compound mid-morning is the first of it's kind for a while. Looking out to sea not really possible in these light conditions precluded any meaningful observations in that department.

Monday 9th December 2013

Late blog for Monday as your blogger was battling his way through the flood water to do a low water count up the river - yes there's still plenty of water remaining from last weeks storm surge. Of note on the records for the day were a Black-throated Diver heading north & an alien Peregrine on site. An immature female put in an appearance which didn't upset the local adult male - just as well Mrs Peregrine didn't see this interloper ! On the move in addition to the Cormorants & Red-throated Divers moving around were going north 3 Common Scoter, 2 Great-crested Grebe & 2 Brents plus going south 8 Common Scoter, 3 Brent & 2 Great-crested Grebe. Overhead single Mipit & Linnet went south.

Sunday 8th December 2013

Nice to see the current bun out this morning - but not nice trying to sea watch with it shining. Plenty of Cormorants plus a handful of Red-throated Divers milling about. Also noted going south 23 Knot, 6 Shelduck, Great Northern Diver, Great-crested Grebe & Bonxie plus another Bonxie north. 18 Snow Buntings flew north over the observatory but were not seen on a perambulation around the peninsula and along the shore. Single Reed Bunting & Goldfinch went south but that concludes the voting.