Shag surprise and the Stock Dove roost growing

A light, but freshening SE wind. Mainly overcast, but showers held off till after dark.

Two Grey Wagtails have been re-sighted recently, both on the same date and both in the same locations as their previous sightings.

15/12/2024 - Ian Hartley saw ALL6554 (M/L, B/V)  again at Glasson Basin where he first saw it on 21/10/2023 .  It was ringed 13/09/2022.

15/12/2024 - Steven Jones re-sighted ALL6067 (R/M, Y/L) at the South Wales sewage treatment site where he first saw it on 04/10/2024. It was ringed 06/09/2022.

See sidebar for scheme details.

Pete managed an hours seawatch this morning. The only bird of note was a distant Red-Throated Diver floating in with the tide.

Near Naze/Heliport (Howard)

Only 7 Knot roosting today.

Red-breasted Merganser 1 female feeding.

Shag 1 - first calendar year (first Shag record since early October)

Immature Shag

Oystercatcher coming in to land

Stone Jetty (Malcolm)

Just a brief check this lunchtime 

Common Scoter 8-9

Female/immature Common Scoter.

Great Crested Grebe 2

Winter Plumage Great Crested Grebe

Middleton Nature Reserve (Malcolm)

A quick check of the main pond saw wildfowl largely unchanged, but 2 Tufted Duck today.

Male Tufted Duck

I positioned myself on top of the hill on the southern half of the reserve to watch the birds come in to roost as it became dark.

Jackdaw 180 minimum

Just a few of the Jackdaw 

Peregrine Falcon 1 flew off with a relatively large black bird, presumably one of the Jackdaw.

Wood Pigeon 12

Stock Dove 68 were seen flying in, the largest flock was 25, most just in twos and threes. Then a flock of 44 were flying around, but it wasn't clear if they were new birds, or some of the earlier birds had been spooked. It was quite dark even when the first birds arrived so pictures not great.

This is how dark it really was, and these two were some of the early birds

These shots are artificially bright (aren't cameras getting clever!)
The middle bird is missing half a tail

These are some of the flock of 44 late birds.

I managed a clip of the 44 birds coming in to roost

Barn Owl 1 - I had been looking out for it, but it didn't hunt on the hill while I was there. I just managed a glimpse of it through the trees on the eastern edge of the reserve at 15:55. It was probably hunting over the pasture between the reserve and the houses along Middleton Rd.

Just out of the recording area (quite a bit out actually, but it was heading our way). Howard managed this shot of Lapwings mobbing a female type Hen Harrier as it flew past Teal Bay