Tuesday 3 January 2023

A day for short range birding!

Overcast with frequent, but largely light showers. A SSE light wind

First this is Kevin's Kittiwake from yesterday, turns out it was an immature bird (now 3rd calendar year).
It was being hassled and pecked at by a gang of juvenile Herring Gulls,
and swam to the harbour edge to avoid them. It didn't appear to make an
effort to fly so I wonder if it was unwell. Kevin

Howard went to check the Pale-bellied Brent geese among the play area rocks. This isn't what today's title refers to. Howards shots are excellent, but from a distance of c500 yards. At first there were only 2 birds feeding, but these had grown to 23 by lunchtime. It's worth opening these as not only are they clear pictures of the birds, but they also show the profusion of gutweed on the rocks.


Unfortunately, the white ringed bird was not with them today, it's proving elusive!

Howard has also received the history of the ringed Oystercatcher he read (see post 26/12/22)
Ringed as a nesting adult 31/05/21 at 04:46 - Iceland, S-Ice, Árn., Selfoss, Svarfhólsvöllur (golf course) 63.9476 North - 20.977 West. 
It was seen several more times in the same area rearing its young and then nesting and rearing again in 2022, till the last record on 10/07/22. Howard's record is the first one away from the golf course, let alone Iceland.

I was (am) full of a cold today and didn't manage to get out (MD). This is what today's title refers to. My only "outing" was as chauffeur to Morrisons. At least the birds there are obliging!
This immature Herring gull wasn't for moving on!

Apart from that, I had to be satisfied with watching the birds feeding in my garden.
Always nice when the Jays pop in

Hopefully I'll manage a proper outing tomorrow.