Blustery!

The Safari listened to the rain lashing against the window before Frank got up and wasn’t relishing having to venture out into it. However by the time we were up and at ‘em the rain had stopped although the wind was still brisk. Woodpigeon Wood held 21 Woodpigeons but most of the Magpies had already left, it’s getting harder to see what’s in there due to the leaves starting open, the scent of balsam from the Poplar trees was heady this morning the first time we’ve really noticed it. Round in the park there was nothing of note apart from a Song Thrush singing at the top end rather than our ‘usual’ one in the Butterfly Zone. Last night we had listened to a Coal Tit singing away in the tall conifers near the ponds and watched a Sparrowhawk dive from height in to the top of the trees nearby while another stealthily made its way hopping through the lower branches along the southern boundary of the park.

A Mallard flew over the tree tops. Back up at the Golden Triangle we heard a Song Thrush singing then one dive out of cover and shoot across the road in to the bushes opposite quickly followed by a second. These two seemed to come from higher up the hill than where the singing was coming from so was there two or three? Whilst watching these a pair of Canada Geese (P1=43) flew past the tower honking as they went.

Still no summer migrants to be found on Patch 1!!!

Out on Patch 2 the tide was out and the south westerly breeze was still quite strong. A couple of bait diggers were on the beach at the tide’s edge but most of the birdy action was higher up the beach where a good number of Herring Gulls and a few splendid looking adult Lesser Black Backs rummaged around a substantial but concentrated shellfish wreck. The only gull of note was a Great Black Back stood alone further down the beach. To the south of the bait diggers we counted a 100 or so Oystercatchers with plenty more beyond them past our boundary.

No other waders were seen this morning and out on the rough sea there was absolutely nothing, no Common Scoters, not even a gull flying past. A very short safari down the corridor towards the brew room mid morning had us scuttling back to the office for the camera as we saw three Linnets footling around on the flowerbed just outside the window. By the time we’d returned with the camera they had gone but a few Starlings had moved across the path from the lawns and started to collect twigs for their nests, we could only manage one shot through the glass before a horde of dog walkers appeared and flushed everything. It’s unlikely the Linnets will nest this year cos the Gorse bushes they like have been severely mutilated by the window cleaners; can’t have decent quality habbo if it means dirty windows, can we?

At lunchtime the tide was well up the wall and almost full. We could see the hills at the far end of the bay but anything beyond the near middle distance was shrouded in a low level misty haze and there was absolutely nothing about. Even more deader than the proverbial Dodo.

The afternoon provided a pleasant surprise just like the morning had. With a bucket load of Starlings bathing in one of the puddles left on the lawn after last night’s heavy ran were six House Sparrows, they don’t normally venture that far in to the open preferring to hang out in the bushes at the farthest corners of our grounds.

Where to next? More of the same but can we have a bit of activity please, a few summer migrants would do just to get our nose a little further ahead of Monika in our yearly challenge.

In the meantime let us know what’s hiding in the mist in your outback.