Saturday 15 October 2011

Two Day Round-up

Thursday & Friday were at 2 very contrasting sites. On Thursday we met at an urban car park adjacent to a major local employer & walked along a river bank until we reached a large lake & then retraced our steps. On Friday we went to an alleged wildlife hotspot & had a circular walk on the coast. Thursday resulted in more than 52 species, the Friday hotspot wasn't able to compete with this. On Thursday the weather was very overcast with occasional drizzle & very little wind. On Friday there was barely a cloud in the sky after mid-morning, but the wind was very unpleasant.

One of the highlights on Thursday pm was a mid-air skirmish between a Short-eared Owl and a Carrion Crow. In contrast, the highlight of Friday pm was probably the minute & confiding Goldcrest. There were plenty of Redwings on Fri am, but these had all pushed off by the afternoon, however 2 short-staying Bramblings took their place. It was rather annoying to find we were at the right location when an elleged rare bunting was seen, but no one had the grace to let us know such a bird was present. A highlight on Thurs pm was a family party of 9 Bearded Tits 'pinging' in the reeds before flying up & moving away from us.

Other Thursday birds included: Pintail, Redpoll, Siskin, Fieldfare, Grey & Golden Plovers, Snipe, Curlew, Redshank & Heron. One bird which was expected, but which failed to appear was a Marsh Harrier. Other Friday birds included: Curlew, Oystercatcher, Great Black-Backed, Herring, Common & Black-headed Gulls. A single Yellow-Browed Warbler was seen, but not heard - a Chiffchaff did appear briefly to sight though. One bird which may have been expected, but which failed to appear was a Red-Flanked Bluetail!

Goldcrest
ditto
ditto
ditto
Sparrowhawk
Brambling
Redwing
Bearded Tits
Short-eared Owl
A view of the cement works ruined by a Short-eared Owl & a Crow!
Heron
ditto
ditto
ditto
Red Admiral

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