Sun

There was promise of some sunshine so I headed out to add a few birds to the year list. It was nice to see the sun again but there were ominous clouds in the distance. There was no chance of getting closer to any of the ducks on view. A couple of Shelduck and a few Wigeon in the same place...

...while a flock of 30 Teal were a bit further away. I had picked up Tufted Duck, Goldeneye, a couple of WT Eagle, Kittiwake, Razorbill, Rook and Rock Dove before coming across a single Skylark.

The rain had started by this point so I had a quick look around but there was little else on show. A group of 4 Skylark on the roadside were nice to see...

...while a few Rock Pipits were either bathing or feeding along a stream.

Dull

The weather is showing no signs of improving so that's keeping things quiet for now. A female Hen Harrier has been a regular sighting but we had a fly past by a male harrier while we were in the shop! A few Siskins on the feeder, GN Divers on the loch and a couple of Rock Pipit on the wires were some of the highlights. The ever present Hooded Crows are always good entertainment as they forage for food - find a mollusc and take it up in the air...

...once dropped you have to follow it down to see if it has broken open.

A couple of Goldcrest were nice to see as they fed low down in the trees - not easy to get a shot though.

You can rely on the Oystercatchers to pose for a photograph...

...and the Siskins coming to the feeder were worth watching.

A Barn Owl was the last addition to the Patchwork Challenge which took the total species to 49 with 63 points.

2014

Here we go again with another year and another Patchwork Challenge. The weather is not the best but I still managed to get a few birds on the list to start the list off - 35 species on the 1st. Highlights were Otter, WT Eagle, Golden Eagle, Black Guillemot, GN Diver, BT Diver and quite a few Kittiwake. No chance of any photos in the dull conditions but I did take a few snaps through the window of the visitors to the feeders. There were Blackbirds and Redwing in the field next to the house and three Dunnocks were on my side of the fence.

A couple of Coal Tits were the most frequent visitors to the feeder...

...and a single Robin was spending most of it's time skulking at the bottom of the Willow tree.

The weather was a bit calmer today and, strangely, most of the birds had cleared off! A superb view of a Greenshank was had...

...and four Otters were seen too.

PWC - 43 species.