Saturday 8 March 2014

Still like winter

Despite the news claiming that temperatures would hit 15 degrees today, it still felt very much like winter at Druridge this morning. 

Ornithologically, it still felt like winter too, other than for a singing skylark. Still pink-footed geese in the fields, big flocks of goldfinches in the dunes and good numbers of curlew about.

So no 'real' spring migrants on the patch yet. My earliest ever wheatear at Druridge was on March 10th (2010), so it's not too early for something to turn up.

As well as a good walk about today, I also called in after work yesterday. Ian Fisher had tipped me off about a pale-bellied brent goose in with the pinks in the front field and it was till there yesterday.

I had a look on the sea, there were 100's of black-headed and common gulls, but I couldn't pick anything unusual out amongst them, as I walked back along the beach, five snow buntings flew over, calling. It was gone five o'clock but still plenty of light, they flew north and kept going.

Today, I had a good trudge around. The pale-bellied brent was still in with the pinks. On the Budge fields, there are still lots of wigeon and teal and the grey herons are looking very smart and are building their nests.The highlight here was five black-tailed godwits.

I had a wander onto the Haul Road. The flash pools here are looking good, but I don't think they'll hold water much longer at this rate. There were seven ringed plover and a couple of redshank today.

85 brent goose
86 snow bunting
87 ringed plover

PWC score 106

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