West Dorset out of season is like a different place. Cogden Beach at sunrise last Tuesday...
|
| Sunrise, but not much sun. |
More than a mile away, at West Bexington, I could see a lone angler. And that was it. Perfect. I had an hour and a half. Forty-five minutes brought me level with the West Bex Mere, so I had a quick look before heading back along the beach. One Ringed Plover, about eight Red-throated Divers, plus a Med Gull in a passing flock of Black-headed Gulls was roughly what I expected, so no surprises there.
 |
| These two Red-throated Divers were a long way out. Max zoom + huge crop. |
|
| Still a lot of berries in the car park scrub. A few Redwings were well aware. |
Right now we are 'enjoying' one of those crisp, sunny spells beloved of many who don't have to work outdoors. One day that'll be me. Meanwhile, an afternoon skive to West Bay with Sandra to look for Black Redstarts will have to do. We couldn't find any, but there were compensations...
|
| One of two Purple Sandpipers on the West Pier rocks. My first this year. |
|
| This Gannet was worryingly close to the shore, and had what looked like a bloodstain on its left wing. So we were pleased when eventually it flew strongly out to sea. |
And that about sums up birding efforts since the previous post.
My BirdGuides subscription expired in mid-December, at which point I lost track of the Waxwing insurgency. The only bird news I see nowadays comes via the local WhatsApp group or the Dorset Bird News blog, and Waxwing has barely featured so far. Still, the species is very much on my audio radar, and any time outdoors is equally divided between listening for Waxwing and saving my fingers from frostbite. I'm not optimistic about either, but you have to try...
Gav, one year in the course of my garden jobs, there was a place where a scrub in the front of the house made me remark to the owner that had Waxwings been about, they would be feeding here. 2011 came along and so did the Waxwings, as I predicted. 🙄
ReplyDeleteShows how a suitable habitat acts like a magnet to which species suits it best. In 2017, the Hawfinch invasion had them appear in the exact places I used to find them thirty years earlier, but long since gone. You've one of these places on Scilly if I recall correctly?
There was a really good Waxwing winter not long after we moved to Seaton, and I heard that a small flock discovered a berry tree just along the street from our old house. Typical. The nearest to home I saw Waxwings while we lived there was Harefield.
DeleteThere's been a few around here but finding them is a bit of a lottery. But I am still trying.
ReplyDeleteLikewise here I think. Just a few individuals, and none lingering. So far...
DeleteHi Gavin - you can see on that Gannet shot that it has a large black iris, which indicates it has had bird flu. Its not an enlarged pupil - its the iris around the pupil that turns black apparently. Don't think its yet known if this will reverse back to "normal" in time.
DeleteCheers,
Col
Well spotted, Col. I'd forgotten about that feature, so hadn't thought to check. Thanks for the reminder. 👍
Delete
ReplyDeleteSaw purple sandpiper at West Bay pier today.