Saturday 18th December 2021

Another grim scenario with intermittent fog and fine drizzle coming & going that delivered 65 Fieldfare & 3 Redwing lost and confused in the murky conditions. Offshore the poor visibility only cleared for a while to encourage observations with southbound 59 Brent, 22 Wigeon & 2 Red-throated Diver with northbound 8 Red-throats. The Purp & Rock Pipit were on the point plus a Guillemot and a couple of Red-throats just offshore.

It is only a couple of times a year that Herald visits the moth traps although a goodly number are hibernating in the buildings this winter.

Friday 17th December 2021

Dreich. 607 Cormorant headed out towards the Cork Sands first thing (but even they were late on parade). 2 Sanderling were on the beach with single Chaffinch, Fieldfare & Linnet on site. The drake Eider, Guillemot & Rock Pipit were present and accounted for along the river.

A rummage around the bowels of the building produced 2 Buttoned Snout. It was as recent as December 2019 that the first site record was found hibernating here and its difficult to explain what this nationally scarce species, that lives on Hops, is doing here.

Thursday 16th December 2021

249 Cormorant headed out fishing early on. 140 Dunlin on the beach at high tide is exceptional here but not long before they departed for Essex. 2 Turnstone & Sanderling also on the beach plus the drake Eider & Guillemot on the river. 5 Goldfinch headed south although in some "autumns" passage in this species drags on into early January. 4 Goldfinch, Fieldfare & a Linnet are on the reserve plus 3 Med Gull, including the above bird that has acquired a droopy leg.

Wednesday 15th December 2021

Looks like Starfish are also on the menu.

Southbound 43 Red-throated Diver, 2 Gannet, 1 Teal & 1 Oyk with northbound 32 Common Scoter & 16 Red-throats. Drake Eider, Guillemot & Shag on the river plus a Rock Pipit on the riverbank.

If any photographers with decent equipment is down at the point in the afternoon's one of the Cormorants that likes siting on the green triangle is sporting a Danish metal ring but with our inferior cameras we have not been able to read the digits. Not as photogenic as the Eider - scientifically more valuable to get the ring combination & far more challenging !

Tuesday 14th February 2021

3 separate Skylark came in off and inland were the only migrants. 3 Peregrine is worth a mention as not been seeing the regulars very often recently. Offshore very quiet with 2 Common Scoter south as good as it gets. Eider still on the river & Purp on the point.

Monday 13th December 2021

Offshore movements almost non-existent although a flock of 62 Golden Plover flew south late morning. Overhead heading south 3 Siskin & a Mipit. On site 5 Linnet, single Chaffinch & Fieldfare. A Shag was by the point & the drake Eider was along the river. Very low numbers of Cormorant counted either this morning or yesterday suggesting that the inland roost was attacked Saturday evening.

Sunday 12th December 2021

Winter Stalkball is out in profusion at present in the open moss covered areas. It is one of the site specialities noted at few sites. A lover of open calcareous 'soils' it also occurs alongside old buildings where lime mortar was used. Note the bit of Rabbit 'poo' giving a size comparison.

Today's migrants were Velvet Scoter went north just offshore, a drake Goosander flew west over the observatory & 5 Fieldfare were present early on before departing inland. Offshore movements very poor and predictable. The drake Eider remains crabbing in the river & a Purp was on the point.