Friday 28 December 2012

From Coast To Moss Via The Terry's

First light saw me back at the Point sheltering behind the tower waiting for it to get light! It was a darker morning this morning and what was birding light yesterday wasn't today! I had full cloud cover with a 15 mph SSE wind.

As yesterday the first birds noted were the roosting Oystercatchers in the half-light and 410 were on the beach before being pushed off by the in-coming tide. Sanderlings numbered 250 and Ringed Plovers 17.

Passage on the sea was lighter than yesterday, presumably because of the murkier conditions, and I had 18 Common Scoters, 63 Cormorants, 13 Teal, three Eiders, 43 Wigeon, two Red-breasted Mergansers, a Red-throated Diver, two male Goldeneyes, five Mallards and three Auk sp.

I couldn't stay as long as I had two feeding stations to get to. First of all I fed the Terry's (Turnstones) and I counted 94 and there were several of our leg-flagged birds amongst them. As I was feeding the Terry's 19 Whooper Swans flew east.

 This Carrion Crow was stealing the Terry's food

I then headed to my feeding station on the Moss where I had a paltry (compared to recent weeks) flock of only 604 Woodpigeons, 15 Chaffinch, 240 Pink-footed Geese, 98 Tree Sparrows, two Grey Partridges, four Reed Buntings, six Redwings, five Fieldfares, a Buzzard and a Song Thrush.

Our planned Turnstone catch is off tomorrow because of the weather, so if it isn't too wet i.e. zero visibility, it will be more seawatching for me.

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