A Quick Mid-Winter Update

As promised in the last post, a much needed update-post, not that there is all that much to update on since the end of autumn 2024...

For me the best bird was the two day Whooper Swan found by Clive on Thursday 12th Dec, in with the Mute Swans opposite the entrance to Stedcombe House.  A nice adult bird, which I only had a few minutes with seeing as it was the day before we moved house...

Basically just a head shot.  It fell asleep shortly after this so was lucky to get anything to be honest!

Whenever I have looked through the gulls I haven't seen anything of note, even Mediterranean Gulls have proved few and far between having seen only one adult so far this year.  

In general wildfowl and wading bird numbers seen modest/low this winter. Teal and Shoveler numbers are the only species in good numbers really, with Wigeon, Lapwing, Black-tailed Godwits present in average numbers at best, just the odd Dunlin and one Greenshank. A Common Sandpiper is wintering on the lower Estuary, the first wintering Common Sand on the Axe for at least four years, before this, one or more would stop over every winter.  Before Christmas a pair of Avocet stayed for a few days, which I saw twice, but unfortunately they didn't stay any longer than that. 

Cattle Egrets are using the valley to roost in, but heading off to north of the patch for most the day light hours.  Low double-figures have been seen on several dates, although I have only seen four myself as haven't done the egret roost yet this winter.  Goosanders are being seeing now and then at dusk too, no doubt more coverage would show they are roosting on the lower Estuary regularly.  Missed the rarest bird of the year so far, Tim C found a brief Glossy Ibis on Black Hole Marsh on 3rd January.  

On the passerine front, it was nice to see a Firecrest right by my work on the 5th.  Black Redstarts are still using the new Seaton Quay houses to feed on, with up to three still present although I very rarely see the adult male.  Hope to get some decent photos of them before too long.

And back to the new house to finish the post.  Although I only managed this awful photo, in the half-light of dawn at the start of this week, the first Bullfinch for the garden spent a few minutes feeding in the front garden...

Hope it returns!

Hopefully will be getting out a bit more soon, just need the days to pull out a bit more!  As ever, thanks for reading...