How do they do that?

The Safari quickly spotted that the bait fish must have reassembled during the night because on our first scan we saw about 100 gulls swooping and swirling over a small area, also there were about 100 Cormorants too. Difficult to count them in the rough conditions but we guestimated over 30 on the water another 34 flew in small groups away from the general area towards the estuary, perhaps fed up and off to roost as the tide dropped. A similar number came from that direction dropping in on the feeding ground.

Only a single Red Throated Diver was seen, again not bothering with the shoal, and there weren’t that many Common Scoters today. Far to rough to be able to see if there were any mammals about.

The lunchtime session was short and not particularly sweet, just five minutes in the heavy drizzle with very limited visibility was enough and we headed back indoors for a cuppa and to see how the feeders were doing.

Some of the local Starlings have discovered the fatballs and only marble sized pieces remained, going to be expensive if the 1000s that sit on the wires and dig for grubs on the lawns around here decide fatballs are their favourite. Bad enough with about 25 House Sparrows are clamouring for a chance to get their beaks stuck into that calorific mix. Underneath the feeder a Dunnock and a Blackbird hoovered up any dropped crumbs...still no sign of the invisible Blue Tit.

We filled the feeder ready for the weekend and can feel a trip to the pet shop being necessary early on Monday morning.

Before then there is the little matter of our Dolphin Watch on Sunday morning, if you can join us please do. At the moment the weather forecast is suggesting that the chance of seeing cetaceans is remote but we’ll be having a look at the seabirds and if the bait shoal is still about then well you never know your luck in a raffle as they say.

No pics today – far too gloomy.

There are loads of Waxwings about and we have berries ripe outside our front door ready and waiting for them

Poor quality - taken in near  darkness at 07.20 this morning.

 Put the flash on for this one at the front gate...not that we have a gate anymore

How do Waxwings find 'traditional' berry trees if they don't come every year? Are some of the birds aging returners, or can they smell ripeness from a distance, can they see some kind of UV (or other) shine from them, is it just fluke??????? Needless to say the 150 at the small park in the next city had better be still there tomorrow morning,  those numbers will gorge they way through a considerable tonnage of berries in no time and be off to the next fuel stop. 

Look out for colour ringed birds from Orkney.

Where to next? Just told yer...

In the meantime let us know if there are any berries left in your outback