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Monday 18 February 2013

South East Winds = Wildfowl

Spring, autumn or winter, if there's some south east in the wind then there's probably going to be some wildfowl movement.  This isn't just the case for the Axe, it was the same when I was at Dungeness and Spurn Bird Obs.  Obviously at Spurn and Dunge it is on a totally different scale, but I was happy with what I saw this morning - although a year tick would have made it even better!

Best bird was found by Ian M, this female Goldeneye on the Estuary which I saw early afternoon...

Pity it wasn't a Goosander!

Sea watching earlier showed two Pintail and a Common Scoter fly east, but little else.

Pintail is always a good bird here, and Goldeneye even better - it just so happens I've seen both already this year.  And to put into perspective just how bad Feb has been for sea watching, I'm pretty sure the Common Scoter this morning was my first one of the month! 

It really felt like spring today, very mild and some glorious sunshine.  Yesterday Jess and I spent the day on Dartmoor, the wind was pretty chilling, but again, it felt pretty spring like. In fact it looked very spring like with plenty of this near Warren House Inn...

Frog spawn!

I've got a very busy couple of weeks ahead of me, with little time for any patch birding. If I'm around I'll twitch a patch year tick though obviously!

2 comments:

  1. Don't know if you're interested but we saw a female black restart today by the JCB under the clock-tower in Seaton today. It was by the steps and on a pile of honey-coloured stones

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  2. Hi there, yes certianly interested in that. This year we've only had one regular wintering Black Redstart, some years we can have 3 or 4. The bird this winter has been very elusive and mobile.

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