We like High Pressure and for the second day running it was wall to wall blue skies, sunshine and but still on the cool side.
With the second Lockdown starting today, it appeared it wasn't just humans that were affected, but also the birds on the beach at Church Ope Cove. There wasn't a single Rock Pipit, Pied Wagtail, Grey Wagtail or even a Wren which are often seen in amongst the rocks and large pebbles. Most bizarre!!
At least at the back of the cove there was a very vocal Chiffchaff.
Elsewhere though it was a different story. Here are a few highlights from various locations along my walk:
Wakeham Railway Cutting: 1 Blackcap, 1 Song Thrush and at least 6 Blackbirds
Penns Wood: The female Great Spotted Woodpecker, 1 Chiffchaff, a Grey Wagtail overhead, 3 Goldcrests, Long-tailed Tits, Great Tits, Blue Tits, quite a few Chaffinches and one or two Siskins overhead
East Weares (From the Cuttings): 1 Little Owl and 2 Rock Pipits
Lower Horse Paddock: A pair of Stonechats and a Song Thrush in the Brambles and a Grey Heron heading north.
Also noted was a male Clouded Yellow and a single Red Admiral.
Here are a few images and videos from today:
There will be strange knocking sounds coming from within Penns Wood
A big clue, a fresh hole in a dead tree
And the culprit the female Great Spotted Woodpecker, who by the looks of it is enjoying her stay in the wood.
In Penn's Copse a very vocal Chiffchaff. The bird that flew across the screen was a Robin.
.........video. Annoyingly I couldn't get around it, to video it side on.
If I have remembered this correctly this is a Talitrus saltator Sandhopper. Lots of these on the beach.
And before I left the cove a shot across the bay.
In the Lower Horse paddock both the male and........
............female Stonechats remain
And Ted of course.
Mammals Recorded: Grey Squirrel and Bunny
Birds Recorded: Gannet, 1 Grey Heron, Herring Gull, Great Black-backed Gull, Wood Pigeon, Collared Dove, 1 Little Owl, 1 Great Spotted Woodpecker, 4 Meadow Pipit, 2 Rock Pipit, 3 Pied Wagtail, Dunnock, Robin, 2 Stonechat, Blackbird, 2 Song Thrush, 1 Blackcap, 2 Chiffchaff, 3 Goldcrest, Long-tailed Tit, Great Tit, Blue Tit, Wren, Magpie, Carrion Crow, Jackdaw, House Sparrow, Chaffinch, Linnet, Siskin and Goldfinch
Butterflies Recorded: 1 Clouded Yellow and a Red Admiral
Bees Recorded: None seen
Wasps Recorded: Common Wasp (Vespula vulgaris)
Flies, Craneflies, Gnats and Midges Recorded: Kelp Fly (Coelopa frigida)
Sandhoppers Recorded: Talitrus saltator.
Ships Today
This is the Dutch Cargo Ship "Emma" on its way from Newport to an unknown destination. More on this vessel Here.
