Larking About In The Night

Did my last woodland bird survey of the year this morning, in private woodland near Colyton. This is one of the best sites for Woodcock on patch - so with large numbers about at the moment I was looking forward to a record count....I saw none! I'm guessing the snow last week displaced them, and they haven't found their way back yet!

On the whole the woods were rather quiet, but a super flock of 70 Siskins kept me entertained for a while. There were at least three Lesser Redpolls in with them too.

The nosie they made was awesome!

A look along the Estuary showed the three Pochard and the two female Tufted Ducks still, 66 Dunlin and a Grey Plover. Off Seaton Hole late afternoon I could see a flock of 41 Common Scoters in the gloom, all but a couple being female-types.

After i finished work at 10:15 tonight, whilst walking to my car I could hear a couple of Skylarks calling from the night sky above - bizarre! They just seemed to be circling around too - maybe confused by the fog!?

Should Have Stayed In Bed...

...is exactly what I was thinking as I was trudging around a very cold and bleak Beer Head this morning, 06:15 - 07:30.

One Wheatear, 46+ Yellow Wags (of which most - if not all - had been seen the evening before) and singles of over-flying Ringed Plover and Grey Wagtail where all that made it into my notebook.

Black Hole Marsh afterwards was a little better; the juvenile Little Stint found last night was still present...

Photographic conditions couldn't have been worse though!

And the two Curlew Sands of recent days had become three again! I think this was the 'new bird'...

Smart birds as always

Otherwise it was much the same with c30 Dunlin and a dozen or so Ringed Plovers.

Later on in the morning, a sweep of the Estuary revealed a few more waders, with a Bar-tailed Godwit opposite Seaton Marshes hide 'new in'. There were also eight Blackwits still. A juvenile Goosander was a surprise find north of Coronation Corner, swimming around and resting with the Mallards...

A rather scarce visitor to our patch, though we have had the occasional singleton at this time of year before

There were at least two Wigeon and 25 Teal on Colyford Marsh.

I've spent over two hours sky watching from the farm gate today, still no Osprey or Honey Buzzard to show for it....

Mid morning, I carried out my monthly woodland bird survey in a block of privately owned woods between Colyton and Southleigh. I am not the biggest fan of woodland birding, but just occasionally I do enjoy it, and this morning was one of those rare occasions...

I didn't see anything rare, or scarce even, it was just lovely... I have never seen so many Chiffchaffs at this site as I did today, some were even singing! Many were following the two Long-tailed Tit flocks that I stumbled upon. A family party of four Siskins very kindly dropped in on a tree in front of me, the stripey juvs looking very drab compared with their 'dapper' father! Finally, a nice touch were two Yellow Wags which flew low east over the wood...much better than any of the 46+ I'd seen earlier on Beer Head!!

The only photo I took in the woods was this one...

A Southern Hawker

I have got a busy few days ahead now, so don't expect this blog to be that busy! Saying that though, I'm sure I'll find the odd hour to nip out, and who knows what could be there waiting to be found...