Bright

There has been a bit of a hold up on this post due to the poor internet connection. A two hour attempt got me as far as the log in page and I'm not sure if I will have to retype this post. If you remember dial-up, think that but way more unstable!!
One of the local WT Eagles had a rest stop on a skerry...

...before moving on to finish it's breakfast somewhere else. Just look at the difference in size to the Hooded Crow!!!

A run out to check on the geese was productive in some ways like this obliging Buzzard...

...but there no sign of the Greenland White-fronted Geese. A few of the Barnacle Geese were loafing in one field...

...while the Greylags were in another with a couple of Canada Geese.

There was no sign of the Fieldfare but there were a decent number of Redwing scattered across the area,

The Lapwings can do a good job of staying hidden over the winter so it always brightens your day when you get a good view of them.

Too hot.

Another hot day meant getting the sightings early before it goes quiet in the afternoon. We picked up a couple of Otter asleep on the rocks...

...and then found the Golden Eagles were snoozing on the cliffs. A WT Eagle put in an appearance and that got both Goldies in the air and over the top of us.

A Cuckoo was found sitting on a fence post before we paid a visit to the WT Eagles. A Common Whitethroat has been putting on a good show but I've only just had the chance to point the camera at it!

The Greylag Geese have young...

...but so do the Canada Geese.

Another three Otters were seen, lots of Razorbills, a couple of GN Diver, Wood Warbler, two more Golden Eagle and plenty of Hooded Crow.

We were surprised to find the Adder in the twenty degree heat but there were no complaints about either! Whinchat, Sand Martin, Wheatear and Mountain Hare seemed to complete the day nicely but we found another Otter eating a fish which was our last sighting.

A good day.

A good run out was nice but the photos didn't come up to scratch - you can only blame the operator. A good start to the day with plenty of Lapwing, Barnacle Geese and Mountain Hare. What looks like a Richardson's Canada Goose was wandering around with the Greylag Geese and a few Canada Geese.

A quick jaunt down a side road produced a male Hen Harrier and this Common Buzzard.

An icy wind put paid to any chance of Adders and a no show from anything else had us moving on to better things. Our lunch stop gave up three Otters - they were distant to start with but they eventually made their way to the shore in front of us.

The afternoon was quite productive with 3 WT Eagle seen, a Golden Eagle that was carrying part of a Hare and another Otter with a huge fish.

Wishful thinking.

Most people find February a bit slow for the year list as you have seen most of what is around, but March is much, much worse...until the migrants start to arrive. Needless to say I've not seen any yet and the only tick for the patchwork challenge has been Eider duck. The sky may have been blue but the wind was strong and the search for a Wheatear was fruitless. A couple of Stonechat hopped on and off the fence trying to imitate something different or, more likely, me doing some wishful thinking! A couple of Common Snipe burst out of a wet flush as I passed by.

Certain things are fairly easy to come by but the supporting cast can be a bit thin on the ground at times. Number of species isn't too bad but actual number of birds can be low. This must be one of the few places where the likes of a Coot or Moorhen can cause a stir and Canada Geese are not the park pests that they are further south.

There were plenty of Rock Pipit working through the seaweed. The number of these birds present is a sure sign of spring approaching as they can be difficult to come across in the depths of winter.

A GBB Gull and a few Hooded Crows were plundering some crabs that had been left on the shore. The Hoodies were just flying in...

...picking up a prize and heading off elsewhere to feed.