Friday 1st January 2021

Southbound 61 Black-headed Gull, 60 Common Gull, 32 Wigeon, 15 Teal, 7 Pintail, 3 Shelduck, 2 Curlew & Guillemot with northbound 1 Red-throated Diver plus single Guillemot & Long-tailed Duck that were heading south but pitched in offshore. It's always difficult to know whether the gulls trickling south early morning are actually on the move at this time of the year or are just leaving a roosting site that we suspect is on the sea off Cobbald's Point. 6 Redwing came out of the Holm Oaks headed south-west were probably refugees from frozen conditions inland. A quick jaunt around the site revealed no other signs of anything on the move.

DECEMBER RINGING TOTAL

For the sake of completeness.

6 birds of 4 species : 3 Blackbird, 1 Song Thrush, 1 Sparrowhawk, 1 Wood Pigeon.

Thursday 31st December 2020

Final sunrise of the year on a crisp frosty morning.

Offshore prior to the "currant bun" blinding ones vision southbound 14 Black-headed Gull & Gannet with northbound 3 Common Scoter. Single Purp was on the point & a young male Sparrowhawk decreased the Dunnock population by one.

Ringing: 1 Wood Pigeon.

Wednesday 30th December 2020

The only sightings of note were 36 Common Gull in the river mouth & the arrival of a different female Kestrel. Single Purp was on the concrete wall behind the cottage this afternoon.

Tuesday 29th December 2020

Butts pond full of water taken in glorious sunshine yesterday. Droughts in recent years have done the odonata in this natural spring filled pond no favours at all with several former inhabitants, like Blue-tailed Damselfly, not noted this year & other former breeders only making fleeting passing visits. Frog numbers were much diminished in the past couple of years and, no doubt, other pond life has also suffered.

An hour starring out produced southbound 12 Common Gull, 8 Black-headed Gull, 8 Kitts & 6 Shelduck with northbound 15 Common Scoter & 2 Red-throated Diver plus 2 Common Scoter sat on the sea. 118 Cormorant went out fishing but the melee that have been coming in from the north were not seen. What is presumably the same returning Great-spotted Woodpecker has paid another visit.

Monday 28th December2020

Flat calm with almost nothing on the move during an hours observation looking offshore apart from 2,100 Cormorant heading for the feeding grounds from the north. Apart from that it was just a couple of Brent & Red-throated Divers coming & going. 2 Purps on the point are the first off their kind we have recorded so far this month. Apart from this the reserve just contains the few species that live here all year.

Sunday 27th December 2020

This evening's Moon looking as stunning as ever.

Overnight heavy rain & gale force winds peaked at 40.6 knots at 0500 hrs cleared and subsided not long after dawn. Half an hour starring out produced northbound 2 Red-throated Diver & drake Eider with southbound 7 Shoveler, 3 Wigeon & 2 Kitts plus the usual mass of Cormorants out on the feeding grounds. 5 Ringed Plover & 3 Sanderling on the beach departed at the sight of the first lycra brightly coloured joggers of the day.