Saturday 4 January 2020

Saturday 4th January

Offshore, 69 Great Crested Grebe, five Red-throated Diver, four Razorbill, three Fulmar, the regular female Eider, a Guillemot, a Common Scoter, and far way to the south a large feeding flock of Gannet and Kittiwake mingled.  The colour-ringed Scandinavian Rock Pipit was again on rocks below the seawall.  The neap high tide precluded meaningful counts of waterbirds in the estuary, with 203 Wigeon, 103 Redshank, 28 Shelduck and two Greenshank the only counts noted.  During the neap state of the tide cycle (often after heavy precipitation), it's not unusual to see larger numbers of some waterbird species utilising alternative feeding grounds on terrestrial habitats, so it was not unexpected today to see 147 Dark-bellied Brent Goose, 77 Oystercatcher and five Little Egret on Eastdon Fields, just west of the recording area.  

Small flocks of passerines foraged from Greenland Lake to Warren Point comprised of 46 Goldfinch, 33 Linnet, 20 Greenfinch and 11 Meadow Pipit.  Scrubby areas remained quite flooded and there were noted seven Long-tailed Tit, three Bullfinch, three Chaffinch, singles of Green Woodpecker, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Goldcrest, Chiffchaff and various typical resident species.

In the village, being struck in the forehead by a bumblebee was a stark reminder of how mild it has been.

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