My last walk of the year and I decided to have a look to see what was about on the sandflats at Ferrybridge. The tide had turned, which was great, but unfortunately there were quite a few dog walkers ignoring the "dogs on leads" signs and there wasn't a single small wader to be seen.
I did however see 5 Bar-tailed Godwits come into land, as I was heading back to the car, though I doubt if they stayed long.
Other arrivals were 65 Brent Geese and a lone Shelduck.
Out in Portland Harbour were 8 Red-breasted Mergansers
It was a bit of a tidy up today, after the storm with no name made a bit of a mess in the back garden. I was so busy I completely lost track of time and ran out of time for a walk.
A nice surprise though, was seeing a large Frog in the new pond. Hopefully there will be some frogspawn next year.
Other than that, it was the normal chattering of Goldfinches on the Nyjer feeder and the House Sparrows on the mixed seeds feeder.
No photos I'm afraid, the light was pretty poor all day. Instead here are a few images of amphibians we see in the garden:
Well the plan was to do a quick shop in Weymouth and then on the way back, have a look to see what was about in Newton's Cove. Unfortunately the afternoon sun disappeared as quick as it had appeared and by the time I arrived at the cove, the light was fading very fast, especially with a huge bank of cloud moving in from the south-west.
As it was, there was very little on the water, other than than a Cormorant fishing and a small flock of Herring Gulls bobbing about close to Nothe Fort.
On land the only birds of note were a huge gathering of Carrion Crows along the path to the north of the cove, whilst up on the cliff top, where I was stood, was a very vocal Raven. And that was about it.
How today's stormy weather escaped a name from the Met Office I have no idea, especially as there were gusts in excess of 50mph this morning and into the early afternoon. Apparently and this is a quote from the BBC "A storm is named when it has the potential to trigger an amber/orange or red warning and have "substantial" impact." More on storms here.
My first stop was Chesil Cove and I arrived about an hour after high water. Though judging by the ferocity of the waves crashing onto Chesil Beach, you wouldn't have guessed that. The waves and heavy spray were still coming over the beach and it was a bit worrying to see young families actually on the beach and playing "chicken" with the waves. Hmm not the wisest of things to do.
On the beach right in the corner of the cove were 5 Rock Pipits, 2 Pied Wagtails and a Raven. Whilst out to sea were Black-headed Gull, Mediterranean Gull, Herring Gull and a few Great Black-backed Gulls
Birds Recorded: Black-headed Gull Mediterranean Gull Herring Gull Great Black-backed Gull 5 Rock Pipit 2 Pied Wagtail Raven
There were quite a few gulls travelling up and down Chesil Beach. Mainly Herring Gulls with the occasional Great Black-backed Gull joining them
Molluscs Recorded:
Cuttlefish cartilaginous shells
Washed up on the beach were dozens of Cuttlefish bones. I say bones, in fact they are the internal cartilaginous shells. More on Cuttlefish Here
General Shots and videos:
Chesil Beach taking a right pounding
Surfs Up
Looking south along Portland's west coastline
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Portland Castle Beach
Next stop was Portland Castle Beach where there was a huge "flock" of 27 Cormorants waiting patiently on the water for shoals of fish to appear. After 15 minutes or so they found one and then the fishing began. It was almost like they were herding the fish into the shallows, before diving down and catching them. I must admit it is a spectacular sight in the sea, though freshwater anglers would disagree!!
Also here were a presumed pair of Oystercatchers, which at one stage were just 20 feet away from me as I was walking along the path and totally undeterred by my presence or for the matter Ted's.
Further out into Portland Harbour was a Great Northern Diver, 1 Great Crested Grebe, 20+ Red-breasted Mergansers and several Herring Gulls.
Birds Recorded: 1 Great Northern Diver 1 Great Crested Grebe 40+ Cormorant Shag 20+ Red-breasted Mergansers 3 Oystercatcher Black-headed Gull Mediterranean Gull Herring Gull Great Black-backed Gull 2 Pied Wagtail
A Great Crested Grebe in Portland Harbour
Twenty-seven Cormorants waiting patiently for the fish to turn up.
Well there were 27, but word has got out that there are fish about as another Cormorant joins the fishing party.
A drake Red-breasted Merganser.
Its not often you can get this close to Oystercatchers. This is in winter plumage.
As is this individual.
And a close up of the white line around the neck, which is indictive of winter plumage. Thank you to my good friend Ed Wilson for pointing that out to me. You are never to old to learn new things.
Ted:
Ted enjoying his walk along the promenade at Portland Castle (castle in the background).
Ships Today:
This is the Portuguese Container Ship "Music" on its way from Rotterdam to Dublin. More on this vessel Here.
It was a wet miserable start to the day, and for a brief spell this afternoon the sun did come out. However the rain returned later and a lot heavier than the mornings spell.
So as there was no walk today, here are the RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch top ten birds seen in our gardens this year. Mine are at the bottom and not to dissimilar.
