The Umpteenth Post

I'm interrupting the seemingly endless ongoing process of ketching up to put in some more recent news.


Reasons therefore; firstly, because otherwise there'd just be yet another one in the line, also because this is almost news, and perhaps most of all because this is my thousandth post [yes, a thousand posts and he still won't shut up....] and I wanted it to be about one thing in particular;

The Patch.

Which is what I've spent the last few days [when not working, alas] going over.

It is also the core and chief subject of this here blog - well, chasing birds about it, anyway - and so really can only be the subject of what really is an entirely arbitrary number?



Right.


The weather having taken a turn for the more 'interesting' and not an onshore blast, I decided to do so much bashing not only in the most likely vain hope of finding something interesting, but of course [as he hasn't mentioned it yet] as my knee is still not quite right and I didn't want to mess about too much by say wandering up and about on t'Moor for 20 k's or so..


With the offshore winds, I also wanted to see if there was anything much roosting off Blackball, or indeed sheltering about the sheltered bits of the coast. [Bit of a cheat there, as The Boss had snuck on Patch and taken a brilliant GND shot the day before...]

What follows is nowhere near that level, you will be unsurprised to learn, being somewhere between 'aaaargh my eyes' and 'oh, yes, that is that I suppose' in quality. But what do you expect from me, hmm?


Rather than go into day by day and babble on even more, I shall summarise;

Onshore, a large number of Blackcaps have shown up - the 1w male who is still lurking often on my balcony [and has learned to use the mix feeder, too] is not an exception - as a morning's meander got me into double figures.

Completely different male Blackcap

There is at least one Blackstart knocking about; I've had female type sightings three times around Lyme View estate, and it or another was calling near the horrifically re-painted and -named pub down the road from the theatre. There have been absolutely no signs of anything even vaguely Hawfinch-like, much to my disgust. Otherwise, the usual winter birds have been about, and much to my joy, at least one local LTT band has found my fat feeder! :D

Photos of birds have been rather problematic, with that/those Blackstarts being right little so and so's I can tell you. I'm not giving up. In the mean time, here are the odd things that did sit still;

Poisonpie sp.? Bitter, I think

[almost stepped on while looking for scoters!] 

Yes, a flashed fungus. Whatever next...

Yup

Things are growing

All sorts of thing

Snowbells

Snowdrops!

Ok enough.

Now from nice close almost in focus if it wasn't for the wind, to dots on the water... :)

About the coast of the Patch, there have indeed been a few birds knocking about. The dolphins seem to have moved off, but that could just be the swell and the timing.
The Blackball roost has been a bit underwhelming in numbers, but not too shabby in variety, as indeed have the other coves I've been looking at.

Kittiwakes

Almost entirely the odd GND and GC Grebe plus scattered auks, of course, but not to sniff at.

I have far too many pictures, so I shall endeavour a measure of self control;

GC Grebes off Blackball

Ditto

GC Grebe, Hope Cove

GND, Hope Cove

Guillemot, Hope Cove

I rather like those three. Very nice comparison there, don't you agree?
Perhaps a 1w Cormorant would be a useful fourth, but you can't have everything.

Another GND, Hope Cove

Most GC Grebes; 37 in three groups on Monday evening [among the showers], most GND; 6 along the peninsula on Saturday [with 5 at Monday's roost]. Also on Monday 126 Kittiwake [some up there], a Common Gull, 2 LBB [adult graelsii] and an interesting dark-headed dark-backed gull sp.

Five blobs gulls

at dusk

On Saturday, a Puffin was off Black Head [I have a dot photo!], on Sunday a BN Grebe and a 1w RTD off Blackball - the latter and presumably the same further up the coast on Monday evening - and finally a diver sp. which I just couldn't get anything clinching on flew north just before 1630 the same day.

Something else;

'Celtic Warrior'

 

Annnnd finally, some noisy displaying going on;

What IS that???

Not a plane

All together now;

"It's always a Buzzard!"

Yes, so are you.

Right then. Usual mis-service shall resume shortly.


Be Seeing You..

Ketchup 4; Madman's Laughter Tor!

Laughter Tor. I almost forgot it.

Perhaps easy to do, it's a fairly nondescript tor, not exactly obvious or anything. They cut the Madman bit out for the tourists so it's just one of many 'tors with funny names just over there' you get up on t'Moor.

But I'm rather fond of it, so failing to get up there wouldn't do at all.



To be fair, I did get up onto the flanks a way back with the Clan, but to do it properly you have to go up and have lunch. Or tea. Or breakfast! [There's a thought - one for the Summer :D ]

Ahem.


So imagine my dispeasure when going through my diary of all the bits I'd done, I realised with a shock I hadn't been up there last year.

Knee be ahemed, off I went as soon as I could.



It happened to be that day when it was reallllly cold and there was ice and snow alllll over the place. It were great :)

I went in from Cherrybridge, took the long tracky way - worrying about my knee - and came back via
Bellever Tor because.. well, it was there and the least steep way. There were hordes about, but well, that's to be expected. Being confronted by a couple of large, loose, and not very friendly dogs was not, but once I turned away they suddenly listened to their owners.. :-/

Anyway, that aside, it was lovely and I didn't hurt myself any more, so bonus.

No spectacular birds, but a few standards showed nicely, and the scenery was... Well, have a look;

Bellever Tor

You sure this is Devon?

Looking back from the top

HaHaHaHeeHeeHeeHoHoHo

[ahem]

Definitely winter

Yes, those are bubbles

More of a leaning stone

The Laughter Stone

Looking the other way,

the reason it's more or less alone

in the background, most likely..

Gotta have at least one bird, right?

 

Compulsory fungal shot

I think this is Benzoin Bracket

Is that it? Wellll....... No.

Last one;

"Hah! I told you snow and wind 

and icy rocks wouldn't stop us getting up"

"Yes, you were right. So..

How exactly do we get down?"

I'm sure they were fine.



Still to come on Ketchup;  More Moor. Actual Proper Birding. That List.............


Run while you ca- oh yes, I already locked the doors, didn't I?

Oops.



Be Seeing You..

No Cigars

Just had my first attempted spam comment in more than four years.

I'm almost flattered.


Thanks mate - you just might not be a 'bot, after all - but next time try reading the actual post you comment on, and maybe not quite so many tacked-on ads? Hardly subtle.


That is all.

Ketchup 3; About The Patch

Patch birding in winter mostly involving looking up at treetops or staring at the sea. There are tit bands, Shags, Cormorants, the odd auk.. Sometimes you find something else. Grebe roost to be hoped for rather than just turn up and counted these days.



So I did a bit of seawatching, as sort of detailed already [down there somewhere], including on the very 25th. There has been posting about this already, so you may well be reasonably expecting this to be a brief and mercifully gull-light post.


Ho ho ho.

Itsa Gannet and a

Wotsit

Aukward to get on

Cormorants

Gulls

Getting back onshore, time for something completely different;

Blackbird

Blackcap

[1w]

Yes and yes! As you may have guessed by being almost good, these are Highlights from the Balcony. But it got better..

Is he looking at that?

No, that's not a Black Woodpecker!

Wings furled, clinging on. How about that?

:D

Keep looking up

To race

Last Redwing, honest

Taken through glass...

Taken through cleaner glass

"Come and have a go

 if you think you're ha'a'a'a'a'ard enough!"

Elsewhere on Patch, the Coast [assorted bits]

GC Grebes off Blackball

Never too many Purple Sand shots

Turnstones are hard core

Spot the Purple Sand still present

Because

Looks like a 
Butter Cup

Yes, there is a shroom called a Butter Cup. Go and indeed figure.


Ok, that was far too many pictures.

Though compared to the horrific diverfest, it really wasn't that bad, was it?



Oh, and yes your fears are valid; ketchup will return...


Be Seeing You..