Lower Horse Paddock, Broadcroft Quarry Butterfly Reserve, Broadcroft Quarry Lane, Bumpers Lane, Rufus Castle, Penn's Copse, Penn's Weare, St Andrew's Church Grounds and Penns Wood.
It was freezing today with a very strong easterly and temperatures yet again not rising much above 0°C. According to Google the wind-chill factor was around -7°C and I could well believe it. We even had a bit of snow thrown in as well, though you had to search for it.
Despite the bitter conditions there were some interesting highlights today. The first being in the Lower Horse paddock where there appears to be 2 male Stonechats. Either that or it's a very fast moving bird, and having seen at the bottom of the paddock, it or another was at the top end of the field. Will check again tomorrow, weather permitting.
Also in the paddock were 21 Meadow Pipit, 2 Pied Wagtails, a few House Sparrows, a Robin and a Song Thrush. In the adjacent field to the east, were 76 Herring Gulls made up of 61 adults, 2 Fourth-winters and 13 First-winter birds.
In the Butterfly Reserve there were 3 Greenfinches in amongst the Gorse bushes.
Not much between the reserve and the cove, but at the cove there were 15 Rock Pipits on the beach.
Just out from the cove there were several Herring Gulls, a couple of Great Black-backed Gulls and 2 possibly 3 Common Gulls feeding just beyond the 1st and 2nd breakers.
Here are a few images and videos from today:
It was freezing today with a very strong easterly and temperatures yet again not rising much above 0°C. According to Google the wind-chill factor was around -7°C and I could well believe it. We even had a bit of snow thrown in as well, though you had to search for it.
Despite the bitter conditions there were some interesting highlights today. The first being in the Lower Horse paddock where there appears to be 2 male Stonechats. Either that or it's a very fast moving bird, and having seen at the bottom of the paddock, it or another was at the top end of the field. Will check again tomorrow, weather permitting.
Also in the paddock were 21 Meadow Pipit, 2 Pied Wagtails, a few House Sparrows, a Robin and a Song Thrush. In the adjacent field to the east, were 76 Herring Gulls made up of 61 adults, 2 Fourth-winters and 13 First-winter birds.
In the Butterfly Reserve there were 3 Greenfinches in amongst the Gorse bushes.
Not much between the reserve and the cove, but at the cove there were 15 Rock Pipits on the beach.
Just out from the cove there were several Herring Gulls, a couple of Great Black-backed Gulls and 2 possibly 3 Common Gulls feeding just beyond the 1st and 2nd breakers.
Here are a few images and videos from today:
This is the male Stonechat at the southern end of the Horse paddock
And a short and pretty naff video of it, plus a Pied Wagtail in the background.
And the same or different male at the north end of the field.
1. 3rd-Winter
2. 1st-Winter
3. Adult
4. Winter adults
A good gathering of Herring Gulls of different ages and seasons.
1, 3,4, 5, 6 adults
2. Adult in Winter plumage!
7 & 10 1st-Winter
8. A possible 2nd-Winter
9. A possible 3rd-Winter
A very rough Church Ope Cove with the wind coming in from the north-east.
No mistaking this as an adult Herring Gull
And another adult Herring Gull, just avoiding the breaking waves.
An adult winter Common Gull.
Same bird as above.
Same or possibly a different adult Common Gull, just picking up a titbit from the surface.
An adult Common Gull just off Church Ope Cove
Same adult Common Gull as above but in slow motion.
A 2nd-Winter Common Gull
Same 2nd-Winter Common Gull as above but in slow motion.
Here is my best effort for a comparison between a Herring Gull (left) and a Common Gull
And the same two birds again.
This very dark looking Rock Pipit has a ring on its right leg. Sadly to far away to read it.
On the beach at Church Ope Cove were 15 Rock Pipits, including the dark individual in the photo above, which, when it took off, was replaced by a lighter individual.
A slightly lighter Rock Pipit, which is more the norm for the beach here.
And just to make a point about how windy it was..........
...........and also how cold it was, with ice and the "heavy" snow we had.
Ted doesn't need any encouragement when it comes to visiting the beach.
I can sense something is on Ted's mind.
Boy he can certainly sniff things out on the beach like these.....
...............empty Whelk cases, which I'm sure are very nutritious Ted.
Birds Recorded: Herring Gull, Great Black-backed Gull, 2/3 Common Gull, Wood Pigeon, 21 Meadow Pipit, 15 Rock Pipit, 2 Pied Wagtail, Dunnock, Robin, 1/2 Stonechat, Blackbird, 1 Song Thrush, Great Tit, Blue Tit, Wren, Magpie, Carrion Crow, Jackdaw, 2 Raven, House Sparrow, Chaffinch, Goldfinch and 3 Greenfinch.