Well I don't know whether it can get any windier, but at around 8:00am this morning there was a horrendous roar as the wind really picked up through Wakeham. One of my neighbours, who I met later, was told that the wind speed had actually reached 90mph. Looking out through the window at that time, I could well believe it.
The wind speed never got up that far again during the day, but the mean wind speed for the rest of the day was good 40mph plus.
There was no point being up high, so I gave Quarry Lane, The Meadows and the the Windmills a miss, and just walked down through the woods to the cove and then back up the steps to Rufus Castle and home via Portland Museum. With slightly less of the howling south-westerly on this side of the island, there was a bit of shelter, but not much.
In Penns Wood there was no sign of the Treecreeper from yesterday. However it was difficult to tell, especially when the leaves were continually falling off the trees and every leaf was a potential Treecreeper dropping down to "earth", before starting its upward ascent again. As I didn't see any leaves "ascending", I gave up looking.
At least it wasn't all gloom and doom in the wood, as I did record 3 Firecrests and a Chiffchaff here.
The beach was taking a right hammering from the waves and way out to sea there was a good mixture of sea birds with 2 Fulmar, 20+ Gannet, Cormorants, Shags, Mediterranean Gulls, Herring Gulls,
Great Black-backed Gulls and at least 3 Kittiwakes
On the beach, and despite the wind and spray, there were 33 Rock Pipits and a female/juvenile Black Redstart. Sadly the redstart didn't stay long, which wasn't surprising!!!
Birds Recorded:
2 Fulmar
20+ Gannet
Cormorant
Shag
2 Kestrel
Mediterranean Gull
Herring Gull
Great Black-backed Gull
3 Kittiwake
Wood Pigeon
Collared Dove
33 Rock Pipit
1 Pied Wagtail
Dunnock
Robin
1 Black Redstart
Blackbird
1 Chiffchaff
3 Firecrest
Long-tailed Tit
Great Tit
Blue Tit
Wren
Magpie
Carrion Crow
Jackdaw
House Sparrow
Chaffinch
Goldfinch
Blackbird
1 Chiffchaff
3 Firecrest
Long-tailed Tit
Great Tit
Blue Tit
Wren
Magpie
Carrion Crow
Jackdaw
House Sparrow
Chaffinch
Goldfinch
You've got to be a real "pro" at holding yourself steady in a gale force wind. This Kestrel is a real master at it
Despite the wind and surf battering the beach.......
.........there were 33 Rock Pipits here today.
Here are two of the thirty-three Rock Pipits which were at the cove today
Butterflies Recorded:
Red Admiral (In Penns Wood)
Wasps Recorded:
Common Wasp (Vespula vulgaris)
Apart from one German Wasp I came across a few days ago all the ones......
............I keep finding are Common Wasps.
Spiders Recorded:
Garden Spider (Araneus diadematus)
Garden Spider (Araneus diadematus)
This bright orange spider is a Garden Spider on a nettle. More on this species here.
Sandhoppers Recorded:
1000's Talitrus saltator sandhoppers
General Shots:
One of the many squally showers to pass Portland. And for once I didn't get caught out in one.
All seems calm on the beach and then.......
...........the surf really got up, as you can........
........see on this video.
Ted really enjoyed his walk today.
As you can tell.
And of course, Ted wouldn't be Ted if he didn't have a buzz every now and then.