A final flurry...

 On Sunday morning the weather was quite good for a late arrival of thrushes on the coast. It was misty with a light SSE breeze.

I popped down to Boulmer for a few hours from 8am and spent my time in the southern half of the patch, taking in the village down to Seaton Point and Foxton GC layby.

It was very obvious that thrushes were arriving in small numbers, some grounded and many continueing their migration westward. High flying Blackbirds, like Dunnocks, are always a fixation for me, these familiar birds spend most of their lives less than 20 feet from the ground, then in migration get up to good heights across open country. Isnt migration amazing!

Overall I counted 1 Brambling, 70 Fieldfare, 34 Redwing, 91 Blackbirds, 1 Mistle Thrush and 22 Song Thrush coming in. There was little else, I couldn't even flush a woodcock.

Looking out to sea, 3 Pintail associated with 8 Wigeon offshore and the usual common waders fed in the muddy patches between the rocks.

Monday was a return to the working bedroom office but as I have mentioned, I still had a couple of short dog walks locally. Along the coast path were 1 Woodcock, 12 Blackbirds, with another 10 in my garden eating windfall apples and a Brambling called from the small wood.

In the afternoon there was some excitement when young Dan Langston came up with the goods yet again, his razor sharp eyes never let him down, by finding a Dusky Warbler on the very spot on Seaton Point where I was counting Thrushes yesterday. It was later in the day and I couldn't get away from work but it was made easier when the bird was very difficult to see well in dead bracken and hawthorn.

Tuesday was similar, another Woodcock on the coast path with 2 Brambling, 8 Blackbird, 1 Song Thrush and a few Redwing calling in the fog over head. 

Lunch was a more leisurely affair today when I clocked off to nip along for Daniel's Dusky.

What an excitable bird. It gave us the run around for an hour, giving only calls and flight views or tantalising shaking bracken stems until it eventually sat out in sunshine for all of a few seconds. I wasn't quick enough with my camera but Dan was, capturing my exact view. Thank you Dan for not only finding another new species for Boulmer, but for giving me one of your photos too...check out his blog in the side bar...

You might need to click on this but its a nice 'birder's' shot of the Dusky Warbler by Dan Langston. 

Back home into the office, more familiar fare was in the garden as a male Blackcap fed on apples.

Its great to see the local season going out with such a bang!

Days 4 and 5. Coming to a close.

Whilst this weather event is quite significant and may be the worst snow we've seen for 8 years, lets not forget, it is still spring. Daylight is about 3 hours longer than at the turn of the year and as a consequence of this increased lighting, birds are still coming into breeding fettle. Today, some birds were singing over snow drifts, Great Tit, Blue Tit, Dunnock and my first Blackbird of the year. It is this that reassures me that try as it may, this wintry spell will be short lived. Roll on the first bumblebee...

The last two days have seen a light thaw giving us access to roads so we can get shopping for supplies. For the wildlife this cant come quick enough. Many thrushes of 5 species are still coming to the garden for food and down on the coast path, good numbers of Lapwing, Golden Plover, Snipe and Fieldfare search for unfrozen ground.

Yesterday I took a walk along the coast to Howick Burn mouth. The sea was a turmoil, raging away, flinging spray and spume up into the woods and fields. A large flock of gulls feeding in the close breakers held 300+ Black headeds, 100+ Common and some Herring and Great black backed while interest came with an adult winter Mediterranean Gull and a first summer Kittiwake, my first of the year.

A walk through Howick Hall Arboretum flushed 9 Woodcock and later on a further 6 were seen at dusk flighting down to the sea shore to feed, including a flock of 4 together.

This evening a Barn Owl was hunting in daylight over the back field behind our house. It looked very white uplit by the snow. I would imagine it has gone hungry recently as the rodents are safely tucked away under 6 inches of snow. I hope some of the hungry chilled birds are not being wasted....
 

The burn mouth at a raging high tide. I had to wade waist deep through sea foam...

The Arboretum

A partially frozen Pond and Pond Field.

The newly ploughed coast road. Freedom.

Fieldfare and blackbird looking for bits under my car.

This bedraggled Mistle Thrush was new in today, only briefly.

This harsh spell takes its toll...a weak Song Thrush found outside, died soon after.

All looking for softer ground.

Golden Plover.

What a day....

I'm knackered!

Fall conditions certainly take it out of you, both physically and mentally.

This morning in thick fog and drizzle, I headed out with Bunty for her walk, on a recce to see if any birds had arrived. A few Robins 'ticked' and half a dozen Fieldfares and Redwings were on the coast path. At the south end of my patch is a geological feature on the coast called Rumbling Kern. Its a hole in a sandstone rock and when the sea is rough waves bang into it, hence the name.

Rumbling Kern

It is a smallish raised area, a bit like an island, and in today's fog it certainly had that feel about it.

On arrival, more Thrushes were leaping from gorse, and a few Goldcrests hunted in the tall Knapweed stalks. They looked tired.

Goldcrest down to 3 feet.

I went to check an old quarry recess in the Kern and saw a bird flush from the path. It was the call that attracted me first, a bit like a Redwings flight call and quite 'urgent' sounding.

A smallish bird, with white outer tail feathers ruled out Robin, then the call again and again...it started to dawn on me. This was a pipit. Getting late for Tree Pipit up here now but these things happen, so I was pleased when I saw it land up near the cliff top then run a yard or so to sit on an overhanging rock looking at me. Again it called - 'zzzeeet' tzzeee' sounding like it had a smokers cough too.

What a shock when I located it through my bins. A white breast with unbelievably heavy black spotting, like a thrush - OLIVE-BACKED PIPIT! I continued to watch through adrenalin -quivering lenses hoping it would start wandering about, pumping its tail in 'Jack Snipe' fashion, but no, it just sat there, soaked. I could even see its bill opening when it called, but, being above me, in poor light there was no colour.

I must get a better angle if I am going to eliminate a heavily marked Tree Pipit thinks I, and slowly walked backwards. I had to look down to avoid falling on bramble 'wires' and when I looked up the bird had gone. I heard a final 'tzzzeet' in the mist as it said goodbye...

What a pisser. Bird of the year on the patch and not enough to convince the records committee that it wasnt just a Tree Pipit...still, its going on my patch list even if it is in brackets.

Olive backed Pipit. Notes when I got home, before checking guides.

After dropping the terrier back at home, I was out again, this time up to check Craster. This was a a short lived visit as I fell over a barbed wire fence gashing my hand open in the process, so I had to retreat to tend my wounds. I said  these days are physically challenging...

Blood mopped and gash taped , back to Craster.

Here there were many hundreds if not thousands of thrushes. Mainly Fieldfares and Redwings with smaller numbers of Blackbird and Song Thrush. Robins were in every bush, and goldcrests were frequent but nothing too exciting could be found. I think the best were 2 Twite in the Thrush flocks moving west.

Home again for refreshments, then a walk to Cullernose Point, the north side of the patch, Birds were still clearly coming in. Blackbirds carpeted the ground as many Redwings left the gorse. There must have been 300+. In with them was a nice male Ring Ouzel, 6+ Bramblings and 3 Black Redstarts.

Another look at Rumbling Kern for 'Ollybippit' found more of the same with 2 Stonechat for the year list.

So a good busy day, but not quite the result I would have planned...

Fog lies heavy on the cobwebs.