A calm but cloudy day, which I thought would produce some good birds. In fact this was a very quiet day with very few birds recorded on my walk.
On the beach the best I could find were 6 Wrens, there were no wagtails, Robins or Rock Pipits to be seen. Out to sea a Cormorant and a Razorbill were fishing just off the cove and when they dived down that was the last I saw of them.
Behind the beach huts it was silent and on the Hebe not a single insect.
The first place where I found any concentration of birds was in the grounds of St Andrews Church, where I at least had 1 Firecrest, 2 Goldcrests, 3 Great Tits and 10 Long-tailed Tits. Through the archway and into Penns Wood there were a further 2 Goldcrests and 6 Chaffinches.
I was hoping I might come across a flock of Long-tailed Tits in the Perryfield Quarry Butterfly Reserve, but the best here were 3 Goldfinches and a Song Thrush.
Here are few images:
The sun trying to come out.
A Kestrel in Bumpers Lane Quarry as I made my way to Church Ope Cove.
One of the 6 Wrens on the beach at Church Ope Cove.
And another.
An interesting call by a Great Tit. Its almost warbler-like.
Birds Recorded: 1 Cormorant, 1 Kestrel, Herring Gull, Wood Pigeon, Dunnock, 1 Robin, Blackbird, 3 Song Thrush, 4 Goldcrest, 1 Firecrest, Long-tailed Tit, Great Tit, Blue Tit, Wren, Magpie, Carrion Crow, House Sparrow, Chaffinch and Goldfinch.
Ferrybridge
Early afternoon visit to Ferrybridge produced 1 Great Crested Grebe, 2 Little Grebe, Grey Heron, Red-breasted Merganser, Black-headed Gull, Mediterranean Gull, Herring Gull, Great Black-backed Gull, Common Gull and a Pied Wagtail.
An adult winter Mediterranean Gull is just starting to moult into its Summer plumage.
An adult Herring Gull in pristine condition.
If I've got this right this is a 4th winter Herring Gull.
A Grey Heron fishing in The Fleet.
The Bill
An evening walk around the Top Fields and lovely to see 2 Short-eared Owls catching voles, much to the annoyance of the local Kestrel and Carrion Crows.
This Short-eared Owl thinks he's going to eat his vole in peace!!
Having lost his meal he heads off in search of another meal.
Other birds around were Buzzard, Pheasant, Black-headed Gull, Herring Gull, Great Black-backed Gull, Stock Dove, Wood Pigeon, 30+ Skylark, Meadow Pipit, Dunnock, Robin, Blackbird, Song Thrush, Wren, Magpie, Jackdaw, Starling, Chaffinch, Linnet, Goldfinch and Greenfinch.