Kaboom! Pow!! Splat!

These being the sounds of me battering my poor innocent Patch until it cried 'Uncle!'.....


Having swanned off out-county on the first and then doing that work thing, plus also having no small amount of Festive Blubber to work off, I decided to head off south and wander about the furthest reaches of the Patch.

Having braved the drizzly 'burbs, I worked my way up Cockington's lanes and mudbaths paths to Occombe Farm - the far bastion of the Patch. There I was again hoping to find that glaring hole in my Patch List; Marsh Tit. En route, a Brambling was a pleasant surprise, but winter thrush numbers were lower than usual - no cold weather concentrations, I suppose. The Occombe Reserve has some lovely wet woodland that looks great for them, and they are often reported there. There's even a hide with feeders. Any Marshies? Ha ha.... A Bullfinch was gorgeous and Nuthatches showed very well, plus a commando squirrel for comedy, but no black-capped brown jobs. Drat. The farmland birds were also feeling uncooperative, with the exception of a nice Stock Dove.

Following the southern border down to the sea, I swanned down to the Pier and shamelessly tried to pinch birds off Broadsands for the Patch - the Rules state that as long as you are in Patch, anything on sea or in sky counts, after all. :) There wasn't a great deal on offer, with only a cute Black-necked Grebe close by, and just enough chop to make things tricksy. Looking out, a GND and 5 fishing Gannets, looking north, at least 10 Razorbills and a Guillemot. As I headed back along the coast, a mob of 20 Turnstone were fighting over scraps tossed to the gulls and at least 45 Oyks were waiting on the tide while a Little Egret was already fishing.


Failing on Marsh Tit again is a little vexing - I suspect they may be cold weather only from somewhere further afield - more surprising is the utter lack of woodpeckers.. Odd, very odd.