December 2022

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.

Pulborough Broosks RSPB

Nice views of a dunnock.

Dunnock

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.

Slipper limpets

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.

Common dolphins

Common dolphins

Golden plover

Wren

We tried luring the water rail out of the bushes, only to attract the peculiar white faced rats.

rat

Rat

rat

15th. Great walk from Mullion Cove to Gunwalloe. At least 4 choughs, and 10 teal in the cove.

Sunset at Polurrian

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.

Golden plover

Ring-billed gull

Ring-billed gull

Two chough, female-type black redstart and 14 purple sandpipers Godrevy. An exhausted seal pup on the beach.

Greey seal pup

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.

Chough

Raven

Shetland ponies

1st: St Ives Island: great northern diver, female-type black redstart, harbour porpoise. 3+ choughs around Gurnard's Head.

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