Landguard Bird Observatory Recent Sightings: 05/02/2017

Saturday 11th February 2017

Light dusting of snow first thing. A thoroughly cold wet miserable day with sleet or snow or rain on & off throughout. ZJF lives here and is well sated after scrounging in the car park & is falling asleep inside the dock fence. The usual Purple Sand was along the riverbank mid-day.

Friday 10th February 2017

Before work and today.

In order to benefit the Holm Oaks & prolong their life the tree surgeons have been at work copparding four of the Holm Oaks along the front of the observatory compound. This work should hopefully have done them the world of good but it just looks a bit bare at the moment. There are a total of 10 Holm Oaks on site with the most northerly one copparded in January 2009 which was a huge benefit to the tree if one looks how healthy it is now. The Holm Oaks were presumably planted by the military as camouflage to the site sometime in the 1890's onward and were last coppiced in the time of army occupation sometime prior to 1958.

Of note today were 2 Egyptian Geese sat on the seaward bank of the aggregate yard which flew up river when disturbed - this is only the eight site record of this species. Offshore today southbound 12 Red-throated Diver, 4 Brent, 2 Great-crested Grebe & Shelduck with northbound 34 Red-throats, 17 Barnacle Geese, 4 Brent, 2 Gannet, 2 Eider, Great-crested Grebe, Guillemot & Razorbill. The Purple Sand & Rock Pipit were along the riverbank and a solitary Meadow Pipit flew north.

Thursday 9th February 2017

When the Lesser Black-backed Gulls start loafing on the reserve then spring must be coming it's just that it doesn't feel like it. Seriously, though, Lesser Black-backs are one of the first "spring" migrants to appear. Also this morning 11 Barnacles flying south are also signs of spring approaching as they start wandering up & down the coast before they return from whence they came (wherever that may be ?). Also on the move offshore southbound 6 Brent and 6 Red-throated Diver plus northbound 19 Red-throats, 7 Brent, 2 Eider, Common Scoter, Velvet Scoter & Kittiwake. 6 Teal were sat off the river mouth mid-morning and the usual Purp was in it's usual place.

Wednesday 8th February 2017

The temperature is definitely dropping. A Black-throated Diver was drifting south offshore from 0930 to 0945hrs. Also offshore southbound 3 Red-throated Diver, 2 Shelduck, Red-breasted Merganser & Oyk plus northbound 19 Red-throats, 2 Gannet & Brent. Purple Sandpiper & Turnstone were along the riverbank in the usual spot on the seaward side of the cottage.

2016 Reports

In the Archive department of the website (click on home page above) are the 2016 reports for Birds, Moths, Butterflies, Dragonflies, Mammals & Miscellaneous records. Also in the Systematic Lists department are updated lists for Birds, Butterflies, Dragonflies, Rare & Scare Birds & Escapes (updated Moth list to follow shortly with no additions to other lists to necessitate any updates). Also in the Ringing section are the 2016 totals plus the updated grand totals.

Tuesday 7th February 2017

Grim morning with drizzle or rain. A first-winter Glaucous Gull was following shipping for a while which was a darker bird than the one that had been regular so may well be a different bird (or was the light so bad it just looked darker). 812 Cormorants went out fishing early on but in the grotty conditions I may have missed some.

Monday 6th February 2017

No coverage. No apologies for the late blog postings and no photos over the last few days but your blogger was attending the AGM of the Bird Observatories Council in Scarborough over the weekend and called in at Spurn to look at their new observatory building on the way back south.

LBO Home Page