31 Jan 22

Penns Wood, St Andrew's Church, Church Ope Cove, Penn's Weare, East Weare, The Grove, Shepherd's Dinner and Bumpers Lane

Ted and I had an extended walk today, too see if there were any Fulmars at their nest sites along the Grove Cliffs. I was also hoping there might be one or two Peregrines about as well. I also had a second-hand Canon SX50HS Bridge camera, which I borrowed with the view to buying, if I could remember all the settings on it.

Well I succeeded on all three accounts, with at least 20 Fulmars and around 8 nesting sites (with pairs at each). I also had a great view of a Peregrine from above, as a male came off a ledge below me as I was peering over the fence close to Shepherd's Dinner. And the refresher with the camera went well, though I do need to find software which converts Canon CP2 (RAW) files to TIFF, PSD and JPEG.

Other highlights were a Honey Bee and 2 Buff-tailed Bumblebees at Church Ope Cove on the flowering Hebes, and it's still January.


Birds Recorded:
20 Fulmar
Cormorant
Buzzard
1 Peregrine Falcon
Kestrel
4 Oystercatcher
Herring Gull
Great Black-backed Gull
Wood Pigeon
Dunnock
Robin
Blackbird
Great Tit
Blue Tit
Wren
Magpie
Carrion Crow
Jackdaw
House Sparrow
Chaffinch
Goldfinch

The Fulmars have returned to their nesting sites along Grove Cliffs. I counted at least 8 "nests" and with other birds flying around there were around 20 birds.

This Buzzard having been ousted from the beach by two Carrion Crows, was then helped on its way by a Great Black-backed Gull and Herring Gulls.

Plants Recorded:

Wallflower (Erysimum cheiri)

A Wallflower in flower along Grove Cliffs. More on Wallflowers Here.

Bees Recorded:
Honey Bees (Apis mellifera)
Buff-tailed Bumblebee (Bombus terrestris)


General Shots:

A very quiet Church Ope Cove.

And the sun bursting through the clouds.

Ted:

Ted enjoying his walk today.

Ships Today:

This is the British Buoy-laying Ship "Galatea" on its way from Swanage Bay to Weymouth Bay. More on this vessel Here.

This is the Maltese Oil/Chemical Tanker "Monjasa Provider" on its way from Dunkirk to Weymouth bay. More on this vessel Here.

This is the Liberian Reefer "Colombian Star" on its way from Dakar (Senegal) to Portsmouth. More on this vessel Here.

This is the British Replenishment Ship "RFA Tidesurge" on manoeuvres in Weymouth Bay. More on this vessel Here.