Yesterday the forecast was for light rain and it chucked it down! Today was forecast for heavy rain, but after a morning shower it was pretty much just very low cloud. A fresh SSW wind and very mild.
Middleton Nature Reserve (JP, MD)
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| Janet saw this female Roe Deer on the southern section of the reserve |
I checked the two main ponds (Malcolm)
Wildfowl as yesterday
Cetti's warbler 2 singing from the western and eastern edges of the "no swimming" pond. I couldn't see them, this clip of Gadwall while one sings was the best I could do.
South shore (MD)
I managed the full walk with just a few spots of rain.
Pale-bellied Brent goose 14 - 2 arrived high from the north very early in the tide and had a drink, then rested on the mud waiting for the tide to come in.
Shelduck 2
Wigeon 276 - many had taken to feeding on the very short gutweed high on the sloping sea wall. Whether it is down to the shortage of gutweed on Red Nab or if the morning rain had made it more appetising, isn't obvious.
Curlew 126 flew south in small groups, no more than normal, I just decided to count them today.
Shag 1 sub adult in the harbour
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| Shag, swimming across the inner harbour |
Rock Pipit 7 - one each on foreshore, Red Nab and sloping sea wall. Two each at the lighthouse and waterfall. This is one of the lighthouse birds, you can hear the second bird calling.
Just out of the recording area - horse paddock behind Middleton Parish Hall
I called in this morning just as the shower was ending (Malcolm). The forecast suggested rain for much of the day so I thought I would get some clips while the going was good. As it turned out that was the last of the day's rain.
Glossy Ibis, still catching worms and still losing feathers.
A Little Egret was feeding in the pool. But not the stealthy technique used for catching fish. It was after frogs, probably expecting to find males awaiting the females, but in this clip at least it just finds something small, possibly an early (and now late!) newt.
