It was there but...

The Safari was able to get out to the big park before family duties kicked in on Sunday. It only took us a couple of minutes to find the Chough. We'd expected to see a large crowd giving us a clue as to where it was but there was no-one with bins and scopes to be seen. However, as it happened it was only a few feet from where it had been seen the previous day.

With the dreadful conditions and long range our pics weren't up to much and this dire effort is the best of a very bad bunch. Still a Chough (115) is a very welcome addition to our Year Bird Challenge, indeed it was our 100th species photographed giving us a 'hit rate' of 87%.

Monday's weather was much better but sadly we were stuck in the office driving the desk and unable to take advantage of the sunshine.

During the week we had the opportunity of a quick scamper down on to the beach to investigate an interesting looking piece of driftwood that may be useful as a feature for the refurbished gardens at work.
We had a good look at it but it was far too heavy for us to drag off the beach unaided. A good poke around it revealed a large Plumose Anemone secreted in a crevice so it would be a shame to remove it from the marine environment.

It would be good to see this specimen fully open. At the steps off the beach on our walk back to terra-firma there were a lot of starfish washed up from the previous day's heavy weather. We quickly found three different species, Common Starfish, a Cushion  Star and a Brittle Star, possibly Ophiothrix fragilis. It was good to be out on the beach again even if only for a few minutes, you just never know what you might come across down there.

Today we left Base Camp to the lovely sound of a Song Thrush singing loudly from the end of the street. We can hear the ones from Patch 1 in the distance but this was the first we've heard this close for a good number of years.

A quick morning look at the sea at Patch 2 while the computer was booting up and the kettle boiling gave us a flock of 33 Whooper Swans (P2 #32)  flying out to sea on their way to Iceland for the breeding season and a flock of 10 Eiders much closer in going towards the river mouth. All the while we could see little bouncing brown dots heading northwards most of which were well out to sea, Meadow Pipits, there were hundreds of them although we heard very few calls overhead. A little later in the morning we found out that 'thousands' had gone over the point to the north of us, JS had obviously been able to do a proper watch not just our ten minutes or so. All the same it was really good to know we'd witnessed a tiny part of a much bigger migration spectacle.
After work we took Monty to Chat Alley as Patch 2 would be still far to soggy after yesterday's nonstop deluge. he had a great time and we spotted a cracking male Wheatear (116) on the rocks down on the lower walk.We did get a pic for the YBC (#101) but it was with our phone on full zoom at considerable range so although we've added the pic to our album as it is jsut about identifiable we're too embarrassed to put it up for you to see...yes it is really that bad!
Where to next? Hopefully there'll be some sunshine and something to point the camera at.
In the meantime let us know who's on the move in your outback.

Wots in yer net mister?

The Safari's day started during Frank's early morning walk. We spotted the Tree Bees again but this time in a Copper Beech near yesterday's Sycamore...this time we were prepared and had phone-cam with us but the results under the foliage were poor. Fortunately they were still there an hour later when we set off for work with the proper camera. Only when we downloaded the pics at work we saw they weren't Tree Bees but one of the White Tailed Bumble Bee species, Bombus hortorum?

They were deffo after the honeydew left behind by the Whitefly on the underside of the leaves - anyone else noticed this behaviour? We've passed these trees almost daily for five years and not seen it before - what's going on???

Then it was out on the sea wall with the scope for a few minutes. Not a great lot doing, a cruising Gannet, a diving Gannet and at least three Common Terns (P2 #69) including one taking a fish visible at least a mile away back to the nesting colony at the docks up -river. Three Grey Seals, all a bit too distant completed the session.

The school group arrived and we set off armed with the usual nets and pots. A nice selection of beach life was found including some sizeable Green Shore Crabs.

 They also found this season's first Sand Goby.

One of the children struck gold with this Red Headed Cardinal Beetle although was determined to put it back in the water where it 'belonged' took some convincing it was aland creature that had got a little lost!

Then one of the teachers came over with a blob of jelly asking what's this? Well we didn't quite know so we put in a tub of water and waited for it to do something which eventually did

But we were still none the wiser, thinking it might be a Plumose Anemone.

Photos were sent to iSpot and DB our friendly marine biologist was over for lunch and she also thought it was probably a Plumose Anemone.

 So far no-one has come forward from iSpot but Maya Plass has confirmed the ID via Twitter so it probably is one then - we'll let the school know that they've found only the second record of this species along our coastline - nice one!!!

Another brief seawatch at lunchtime wasn't particularly productive.

But our second beach group of the day - Dad's n kids this time found more or less the same as earlier but also found a few small Blennies hiding in the higher pools; Dads allow themselves to climb up ignoring our snooker-esque one foot on the sand at all times elf n safety rule. Sadly none of these beautiful little fish could be tempted out of their hidey-holes - bacon needed next time we think!

Also up there were lots of snotty burgundy slug-like things...aka Beadlet Anemones.

A great day in the sunshine until it clouded over...and we sincerely hope that we've kindled a permanent spark in at least one of the little tykes today...now that would be a success.

Outside the Blackbird fledglings are still being fed deep in the shrubbery, and families of Great Tit, Goldfinch and Greenfinch are visiting the feeders, the Wrens are still in the nest and a Robin is singing at the far end of the garden - all is good but where are the screaming Swifts scything through the evening sky, that's a big loss to bear.

This Poppy is pretty intense though

Where to next? Day off tomorrow (no chance of an update for you, exciting things non-wildlify happening) and with it being warm still and muggy the mothy is going out.

In the meantime let us know what's being hoiked out by the netful in your outback.

A day full of surprises

The Safari wasn’t out long as usual on Patch 1 but still managed to get a patch tick when a pair of Great Black Backed Gulls (P1 #36) flew over calling loudly and causing a more than a bit of panic amongst the rooftop nesting Herring and Lesser Black Back Gulls. Just goes to show how little we’ve done on the patch this year if we’ve had to wait a few days short of a full six months to find this species AND we’re still waiting for a Patch 1 Common Gull!!!

The drive to work showed a slightly choppier than of late sea and nothing again on R’ouzel Puddle. Grabbing the scope we headed over the road to strain our eyes into grey murk for...wait for it...a distant Grey Seal and a couple of Sandwich Terns...and a silvery something floating in the distance, possibly some inflatable cartoon character or other – deffo not the driftwood from yesterday which had disappeared off the beach.

We settle down at our desk and began the days toil. Not long after our second brew of the morning we got a txt from a colleague telling us she was at a site and it was a sight worth seeing, a quick conversation later and the Land Rover was out of the car park and pointing north to a new Health Centre complex. Here the landscaping had included much groundworks and some wildflower sowing along with SUDS – Sustainable Urban Drainage – pulling into the car park we were met with a veritable riot of colour and life – WOW – IMPRESSIVE. A school group was also on site planting wetland plants into the drainage swales – EXCELLENT. A PERFECT foil to the doom n gloom about ‘over-tidying’ we ranted on about yesterday.

We met the landscape manager who was really enthusiastic about what he and his team had created. It’s to be hope the site’s top brass don’t see it as ‘untidy’ and order someone to mow it to death although we did discuss management and maintenance options to hopefully head that nonsense off at the pass.

Whilst there we spotted a plant we didn’t recognise – it may be ‘just’ White Campion but we don’t think so the leaves aren’t right. BTW the some of the Red Campion seedheads at work have Campion moth caterpillars in them.  

Yellow Rattle was good to see as it should help keep the longer grasses at bay. 

Although it wasn’t sunny the place was alive with bees and we saw a spankingly fresh Small Tortoiseshell, a Common Blue, a pair of dancing Holly Blues and this rather battered Small Copper.

Back at the office butties were rammed down our cakehole so as we could get on the beach and try to photograph the Plumose Anemone. We couldn’t; our sneaky plan of putting the camera in a placcy bag failed when the bag in question sprung a leak and drowned the camera – good job it wasn’t the new posh camera...have an even more cunning plan involving a periscope tomorrow!!!

With a failed camera we wandered around a bit on the beach spotting goodies like Squid eggs! Nothing for it but to race back to the office and get the good camera. Never seen Squid eggs before although we have discussed with others the possibility of snorkeling around the pier legs in summer if the water ever gets warm and clear enough looking for Cuttlefish.

Plenty of Necklace Shells about and still alive too. 

A few Edible Whelks were found and checked for Hermit Crabs, the last one did have a crab but ‘only’ a very small and shy Green Shore Crab.

More Necklace Shells were found including some with their foot out and a couple with the prickly piggy-back riders Hedgehog Hydroids – at least that’s what we think it’s called.

And we got our best, but not really any good, pic of the Plumose Anemone...

Better luck with the periscope tomorrow? We’ve a feeling it’ll the periscope will make it too dark for photography but we can but try and see what happens.

Where to next? Who’s going to have to try to beat the Germans; Spain or Portugal?

In the meantime let us know what surprises lay in wait in your outback.