The Ton

Well I didn't have to wait that long at all!  I ended yesterday's blog post listing some of the easier species I am yet to see this year, but none of them were my 100th PWC species for 2017...

Yes that's our wintering female Tufted Duck at Lower Bruckland Ponds, along with three new friends. Two drake and a female Gadwall, the ton is done.

Earlier today looking down from Axe Cliff I could see a huge feeding flock out in the bay, of at least 280 Gannets and 150+ auks. From the sea front the light and viewing conditions were absolutely dreadful so I couldn't do much more with them, but hopefully they will hang around for a few days and attract some other species. A mid winter Pom Skua would do nicely.

One Hundred Thousand...

...is the land mark number of hits this blog reached between this and the last post. I would just like to thank all readers, regular, occasional or one-off, for looking at this blog. I'm sorry it's not being updated as regularly as it used to be, and I know it isn't the most comical or well written birding blog on the internet - but I enjoy writing it so I hope there's at least one person out there who enjoys reading it!!

This morning, the heavy rain enticed me out. I started at Black Hole Marsh, then had a beach wander. Later on I had a look along the Estuary and from the farm gate. My totals are;

45 Ringed Plover (10 BHM, 12 on beach and were then joined by another 23 that had flown in off the sea, all 35 then flew up river), 1 Knot (juv Coly Scrape), 8 Dunlin, 6 Common Sands, 4 Green Sands (Coly Scrape), 2 Wood Sands (BHM), 1 Greenshank (Coly Scrape), 1 Whimbrel and 11 Blackwits. There were also two Common Scoters on the sea (one drake), a Yellow Wagtail on the Tesco site and at least six Swifts feeding low over the town.

Later on I had a wander around the fields behind Beer Cem. It was just the usual couple of Whitethroats and Chiffchaffs and six plus Blackcaps...but then a lovely Garden Warbler hopped out in front of me....

...a patch year tick yes, but a Melodious would have been better!!