A Little Time Off

As has been my habit in recent years, I took a little time off work to do some winter birding.

I also actually dragged myself off Patch - and though lurgy and weather limited me a bit, I wasn't going to be denied everything. I even got up onto t' Moor..!

If I summed the proper birding ones up with 'two Ring-necked Ducks in as many days', you'd have a pretty good idea of where I went.

However, time is not with me today, so I'll inflict a Patch report on you now and do more about the rest later. And there is more, oh yes... :D


The Patch has been rather quiet compared to some neighbouring areas, with a lack of fancy gulls posing for photo shoots [mutter mutter]. I've been gradually building back up as I get over the plague - and perhaps spent too much time on clifftops and breakwaters staring at blobs on the sea while the wind tried to freeze my hands off - so there wasn't the hardcore seawatching there should have been at certain points. Daytime efforts were largely inland, and largely fruitless aside from the expected regulars.

But I have done my best with the Blackball roost and the north end of the Bay.

'White-throated' Blackbird

Taken during my BGBW!

Song Thrush

Another Song Thrush

[200m down the road]

Monday evening GC Grebe raft

Numbers were down 'a bit'.. to say the least!
About a 60% reduction in grebe numbers. A lack of divers also, and a reduction - though only about 40% - in auks, and far more Guillemots than Razorbills now present.

"I'm really a Chough"

With the wind shifting to the northern half of the compass, the top end of the Bay actually has a shot at some birds - with the Broadsands RNG sneaking into Patch waters during the day, even - though not much of one, what with all the frickin' jet skis.. [Mutter mutter]
But there have been four GC Grebes and even 4 Mutes off Torre Abbey, with better stuff further off and the usual light scattering of mostly Guillemots, so not all bad, eh?
Purple Sand numbers are down, too, with only two visibly roosting on Monday's tide and only one Turnstone about.

This post will be expanded with some very bad grebe shots, and maybe some more scenic views in the near future, but I've a ton of freshwater shots to sort out before I stick anything else on, so they'll have to wait until after the other stuff is up. They should be slightly better then the dots up there, though. 'Should'.

Looking southwards from Haldon Pier

And to the east

London Bridge and Berry Head in one shot

Finally, I can't let you go without some gull-based horror...

"Actually, I'm a smith in disguise, 

but I've gnawed off my ABA ring so nobody will believe it!"

When a gull strikes a pose, it's rude not to make good use of it

Larus argentatus argenteus

Bah, who needs bladdy Kumlien's anyways......



Be Seeing You...