After shamefully neglecting the Nose the previous weekend, I gave it both mornings. The even more neglected Patch got more on Sunday, with me wandering around to the Harbour, in defiance of howling northerly wind, blazing Sun, and hordes of mundanes...
But to Saturday, when I was delighted to find - No, not a good bird, remember where we are! - not only the Teacher, Mr and Mrs Peregrine, but the Veteran, back from an NHS-mandated break in birding.
The birds weren't exactly up to the standard of the company, but the marine life and fungi tried their best to make up the difference.
Parrot Waxcap
Offshore, Common Dolphins, Bluefin Tuna [and Harbour Porps I couldn't get on] were very distant but spectacular when you were lucky enough to catch one breaching!
Onshore, a dozen Redwing were flying around, and Blackbird numbers were markedly up. A Firecrest called in the Top Dell for a while, but did not feel like showing [see above, re: hoolie]
I did pretty well with fungi after we went our ways, and yes, that's what you're getting,
Foetid Parachute
Nitrous Waxcap
[late, but delayed by warm weather and
late Bracken cut]
Butter Waxcap
Ivory Waxcap
Cedarwood Waxcap
Sulphur Tuft
Fleecy Milkcap
Sunday started with a blown-out sunny Nose [though at least 13 Oyks visible, and the two Purple Sands moved at the wrong time to evade me :) ] with markedly fewer Blackbirds. 2 Mipits only likely migrants.
I then progressed about the Patch in a mostly fruitless search for anything much until I got to the Real Living Coast, where at least 5 Purple Sand and 9 Turnstone were mostly foraging out of sight [due to low tide]
Purple Sandpiper
Still the best place to see them pretty much anywhere. :)
Looking to sea, I was very surprised by a head-on fully-out-the-water Bluefin Tuna breaching off Hollicombe!!! From Haldon Pier it was in line with Paignton Harbour - that's close inshore....
Even closer in, 2 grebe sp. were tight off Torre Abbey, but they weren't feeling obliging [despite being statistically near-certain GC] and to rule out Slav I legged it round, only for them to have been flushed off [I hate speedboats] before I got there. Drat.
Got some exercise and at least tried to find something interesting.
Oh well and so on.
Be Seeing You...
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