The return of the waxwings or a return to the waxwings.

The Safari set off for work as usual but as we got to the car park we veered off course and headed over the railway in search of the Waxwings we saw yesterday. It was just about light enough to make out four or five as we passed by at 30 mph in a line of commuter traffic. Turning round at the earliest opportunity we drove past but again could only see a few blobs in the top of the tree.

Very heavy and frequent showers charging in on a strong cold wind changed our mind about going over to Patch 2 until lunchtime.

The rising tide wasn’t as exciting as we’d hoped with little being seen apart from a few small groups of Common Scoters being tossed around as though they were in a washing machine.

The beach wasn’t that much better. Sanderlings scampered around here there and everywhere on their twinkle fast black legs but we only counted a poor 29. Oystercatchers and gulls were slightly more numerous. A scan through the gulls didn’t give us anything to shout about except one that wasn’t a gull.

Hidden in the small throng of gulls working through a denser patch of wrecked shellfish was a Knot (P2 #39). Knot are (k)not :-) that common on the beach here, being recorded only a handful of times a year and mostly as fly-by flocks.

Mid-afternoon we had the chance of another nip up to the Waxwings. Four or five blogs were in the tree again as we pulled into the supermarket car-park. We got the camera out and looked up to see 11 now sat in the uppermost twigs and being flung around up there by the strong wind.

We took a few pics in horrible light, slightly better than yesterdays?

Where to next? Hoping patch 2 will produce something a little better or at least something after the overnight gales, they’re not in the best of directions though.

In the meantime let us know what’s clinging on for dear life in the teeth of the gale in your outback.