How curious! I was midway between the 2 halves of a jar of Food Bank Spanish Sauce on Wednesday(29th) when I got a message that Phil Abbot had broken the Axe record for Mediterranean Gulls with 56 at Coronation Corner. Gavin Haig then proceeded to break it again with 83 whilst I detoured from the town centre to try counting them flying past the tramsheds where the Common Sandpiper was still about.
Amazingly, I soon had a group of 44 go by. This was followed by lots more between 3:15pm and 4:45pm. I'd breached the 100 barrier by the time Ian of the notorious McLean clan joined me but we still managed another 20 to take my total to 123. What the true number for the whole day would have been boggles the mind. Loads of BHGs, Commons, Herrings and GBBs also streamed by. I expect there was a smithsonianus in there somewhere but a fly-by in the twilight would be tough, wouldn't it?! An extraordinary day for us all and Mike Blaver kept seeing them from Tower Hide until dusk.
I enjoyed some new potatoes and broccoli with my Mediterranean pan-fry that evening too!😋
Thursday, January 30, 2020
Monday, January 27, 2020
Filling A Hole For Now
Well, I got through the weekend by having a Food Bankish meal two days running. Tinned tuna, tinned sweetcorn, packeted pasta and a jar of sauce kept me going well enough to take a walk around Colyton. Not a bad thing to do just now, I must say.
The cold snap we had last week seems to have affected the Cattle Egrets' habits. Only one flew South over the Umborne bridge with the Littles at dusk on Sunday so three of them must be feeding elsewhere or flying down earlier now. Dippers were about but I shan't mention their exact location. Two species of owl also made their presence felt.
Wish I had more to tell but the only other news is that I have 2 pairs of binoculars for sale at £50 each. One pair is Helios from the mid-noughties, the other is Opticron from the 1980s! Let me know if you're interested - I need money for fresh fruit and other produce! Cheers for now...
The cold snap we had last week seems to have affected the Cattle Egrets' habits. Only one flew South over the Umborne bridge with the Littles at dusk on Sunday so three of them must be feeding elsewhere or flying down earlier now. Dippers were about but I shan't mention their exact location. Two species of owl also made their presence felt.
Wish I had more to tell but the only other news is that I have 2 pairs of binoculars for sale at £50 each. One pair is Helios from the mid-noughties, the other is Opticron from the 1980s! Let me know if you're interested - I need money for fresh fruit and other produce! Cheers for now...
Friday, January 17, 2020
Scraping Bits & Bobs Together
One of the biggest problems with being a skint birder is that you can't travel anywhere to find new birds to report or comment on. Without the money for a car, even popping across to the Exe Estuary becomes a major expedition involving several buses or trains and more time spent travelling than birding. Thus, it befalls the birder bereft of money to either be very quiet on social media or to repeatedly mention the same overwintering birds which have been present on his doorstep for months now.
Therefore, I can confirm that the 4 Cattle Egrets which have been passing over Colyton at dusk as per usual are my biggest birding thrill so far this year. I did take a walk along to Seaton Hole for the male Black Redstart one day - and I don't want to devalue a beautiful bird - but we did have quite a few in the Autumn and, anyway, I didn't find this one and had already seen many photographs of it. So I knew exactly what to expect. Which spoils my fun a little these days (I suppose I'm becoming a grumpy old birder; sorry about that).
On a more positive note, a nice surprise this week was the intervention of Mike Hill who saw me at the bus stop, took pity on me and gave me a lift as far as Hillymead. Cheers, Mike & Cherry! As I was right by the entrance to Seaton Marshes there it would've been rude not to visit the hide on my way into town, wouldn't it? Well, that's my opinion so I re-acquainted myself with the Bar-tailed Godwit, a Greenshank and a couple of Dunlin from there. As I've recently been to Specsavers I also saw Black-tailed Godwits, Redshanks, Curlews, Oystercatchers and a Stonechat. The seafront has produced Common Scoter, GC Grebes, Gannets and a Razorbill.
Apart from the usual raptor species and riverine birds, I suppose that's about it for 2020 so far. If I can find my way to a spot where anything more interesting occurs, I may post again soon. Otherwise, it could be a month or two! Roll on Spring, eh?
Therefore, I can confirm that the 4 Cattle Egrets which have been passing over Colyton at dusk as per usual are my biggest birding thrill so far this year. I did take a walk along to Seaton Hole for the male Black Redstart one day - and I don't want to devalue a beautiful bird - but we did have quite a few in the Autumn and, anyway, I didn't find this one and had already seen many photographs of it. So I knew exactly what to expect. Which spoils my fun a little these days (I suppose I'm becoming a grumpy old birder; sorry about that).
On a more positive note, a nice surprise this week was the intervention of Mike Hill who saw me at the bus stop, took pity on me and gave me a lift as far as Hillymead. Cheers, Mike & Cherry! As I was right by the entrance to Seaton Marshes there it would've been rude not to visit the hide on my way into town, wouldn't it? Well, that's my opinion so I re-acquainted myself with the Bar-tailed Godwit, a Greenshank and a couple of Dunlin from there. As I've recently been to Specsavers I also saw Black-tailed Godwits, Redshanks, Curlews, Oystercatchers and a Stonechat. The seafront has produced Common Scoter, GC Grebes, Gannets and a Razorbill.
Apart from the usual raptor species and riverine birds, I suppose that's about it for 2020 so far. If I can find my way to a spot where anything more interesting occurs, I may post again soon. Otherwise, it could be a month or two! Roll on Spring, eh?
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