December 2022 |
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26th. Pulborough Brooks RSPB: no sign of the 2 white-tailed eagles that are often here, but a red kite and a firecrest were present. Nice views of a dunnock. 25th. Littlehampton. A small stack (3) of slipper limpets. The largest, oldest individuals are female and live at the base of the stack. Smaller males above at the top of the stack change sex as they move down the stack following the death of females. This sequential hermaphoditism is unidirectional. 24th. Partridge flocks in fields alongside the A36 near Salisbury: I could only identify red-legged partridges. Around 8 red kites in the same area. 16th: Overnight frost in St Ives. The cold weather brought in some interesting birds. St Ives Island: 5 great northern diver, 1 red-throated diver, 5 greylag geese flew E, 4 golden plover on grass, water rail in thicket next to path from car park, 1 black redstart, 1 flighty brown-coloured chiffchaff, 2 Atlantic bluefin tuna, 3 harbour porpoise, 50+ common dolphin. We tried luring the water rail out of the bushes, only to attract the peculiar white faced rats. 15th. Great walk from Mullion Cove to Gunwalloe. At least 4 choughs, and 10 teal in the cove. 5th: a 'clucking' female peregrine, raven and a probable black redstart in Royal Fort Garden. 3rd: a day out with Hetty, Kurt, Abi and Adrian. Hayle Estuary: ca. 200 golden plover, 4 bar-tailed godwit, kingfisher and the adult ring-billed gull back at Lelant saltings. Two chough, female-type black redstart and 14 purple sandpipers Godrevy. An exhausted seal pup on the beach. 2nd: St Ives Island: 08.30-09.00: 3 great northern diver, 1 sooty shearwater, 3 common dolphin. 2 chough, 2 raven and 7 purple sandpipers at Godrevy. 1st: St Ives Island: great northern diver, female-type black redstart, harbour porpoise. 3+ choughs around Gurnard's Head. |