Out Of Order, But I Don't Care

Hope's Nose today and after a bit - ok quite a lot - of messing about and indeed getting rained on, I was able to get pixels of this little darling;

Well hello...

Female Black Redstart, along The Sole; first seen by PJ, picked up today by The Teacher. Showing slightly better than the male at Sandy Cove.!

Seawatching has been done, many divers, assorted, have been seen, also some sea ducks. There were Sandpipers, Purple, too.

But I fear all this - and indeed that seawatching post, and another post - will have to wait for January and a long ketchup series... Oh dear.

In the mean time, have another, as Her Ladyship eyes up The Teacher,

"Bugger, I'm surrounded"

Ah, what a way to end a year.

:D

Be Seeing You...

A Very Pretty Present

So I was just finishing up after a 6hr seawatching session at the Nose by counting GNDs and so on in Hope Cove [there were a lot, but Fronts happen, you know], when I got a call from a Certain Teacher, who'd had a call from a Certain MB, who'd learned of a Certain Bird in a Certain Garden.

Said Teacher had asked said Garden's Owner very nicely if his friend could see said Bird, and said Owner very kindly agreed. 

 

Was I interested?

While I don't think I've ever gone from The Point to IMD so quickly, I should point out no speed limits were broken, and people were even reversed for [which is above and beyond for twitching, I'll have you know], though there may have been some slight relativistic effects occurring...

What's he going on about?

Observe, regardez, and so forth....

Waxwing!

Patchwing!

First for far far too long, may the next be but a week away ;)

It was getting a bit dark by the time I got there, and I'm sure a Certain Murphy's twitter will be full of far better pictures, so I shall restrict myself to one more;

Wings of Wax

What a bird and so on.

:D

I'm wearing multiple hats to doff.

Be Seeing You...

Also

A few other things from about the Patch over the festive season,

GSW

Adult female having

a go at the coconut half

Very twitchy things, not at all easy to point the camera at [they hear the lens zooming through a closed window and are off..], but sometimes it works.

:D

Birch Milkcap

Hiding amongst the leaves

What grows out of a 

Birch stump

Growing on grass in

several spots at the Nose.

Possibly Nectria peziza

Hmm, what's this?

An Inocybe?

Turkey Tail 

on Blackthorn stump

Blackening Waxcap

I know, more waxcaps, but they're just so pretty...

Heath Waxcaps,

showing variation

Getting back to the top, sort of,

The Dunnock is a ground feeder

and certainly would never even

think to try to use..a..fee-

Oh.

;)

And yes, that's a perch and use, not a perch and fall off. The Robin's still at the 'take one and go' stage, however.

Be Seeing You...

Begin Again

The new year [solar, that is] started with what was almost a lovely sunrise

Bit scenic

Hail to the, er, cloud...

One year, one year...

Ahem.

"Hail to me, human.

And gimme yer sammiches"

Merry Christmas to you too...

With all the running-around done, I've been loitering about the Patch. Nothing exceptional found, but you keeps looking.

A few things;

Grey Seals

Just one or two

knocking around

Zzzzzzzzzzz

Up to 9 Grey Seals in the vicinity of the Nose.

A few Guillemots

on the Ore Stone, too...

Well over 500 Guillemots loitering on or by the Ore Stone on both the 24th and 25th [though all gone on the 27th]

Blob Female Eider

Appeared on the 24th to myself and The Teacher, near but not with the 12 Common Scoter at the Buoy Farm.

Male Running Crab Spider

Philodromus albidus

Spider surprise! This chap tried to get a lift home with me after I'd given the sea an hour on the 25th.

Sea watching from first thing has shown large movements of auks [mostly Razorbill] with Gannets, Kittiwakes, and a handful of Fulmar south each day. Passage dies off quickly, and seems to be of birds roosting in Babbacombe Bay - sheltered from the sustained winds - then moving out into Tor Bay / Start Bay, or maybe further, to feed.

Wintering Great Northern and Red-throated Divers [with a Black-throated also reported] likewise.

RTD and a Guillemot,

heading for the Bay

I've been doing a bit of seawatching, but I'll save the numbers stuff for the near future, as I've a more seawatchy post planned, and feel like a little comparing.

All arty and stuff

Be Seeing You...

Pictures From The Patch

A little overdue but, as threatened promised, here's an assortment from Patch.

And yes, they're all fungi!

[Mua-ha-ha-ha-ha....]

Scarlet Waxcap

Goblet Waxcap

Blackening Waxcap

Parrot Waxcap

King Alfred's Cakes

Daldinia concentrica

Smoky Spindles

Meadow Coral

Nitrous Bonnet

Clouded Funnel

Mottled Bolete

Russula turci

Pavement Mushroom

Orange Milkcap

Hen of the Woods

Lilac Pinkgill

Velvet Toughshank

Common Cavalier

Ashen Knight

Meadow Waxcap

What's worse than all these funguses?

I have more......

Oh dears.

Be Seeing You...

A Wander

Went for an amble with the Folks and Canis horribilis salivatus about Fernworthy on Sunday.

Weather wasn't ideal, but we had a nice time.

[Ok, might have been better if that hadn't been the day the Coastguard decided to do repeated landing practice on site..  We appreciate that they have to do this to be ready for when they have to, but perhaps not on a Sunday? Maybe?]

Anyways, the usual woodland - deciduous and conifer - species were about, though with the wind and lack of sunshine most weren't feeling super-showy. Pity as a flock of at least 27 Siskin would have been quite something if they'd stopped in view.

No shrikes, of course [hey, I can hope] and almost nothing on the Res. due to aforementioned chopper's repeated circling and landings. Eventually 5 Tufties and a GCG appeared, and the gulls were just starting to return as we left. Oh well.

A few piccies,

Plenty of water,

slight lack of birds

Crossbill

Siskin and Chaffinch

Soil section

To prevent [or at least delay]

slobber attacks, apply chew

And, inevitably, a few fungi,

White Spindles

Stump Puffball

Yellow Stagshorn

Bitter Bracket

Funeral Bell

Ochre Brittlegill

Rosy Brittlegill

[a bit munched]

Iodine Bonnet

In case you're wondering, the weekend was largely taken up by being out but not birding due to it being That Time Of Year.

And yes, Patch Fungi Post is still in the works, pictures if not IDs are progressing.

Ho Ho Ho

Be Seeing You...