Hail and Gale an Easter Saturday Tale

Blimey O'Reilly, it was a bit blustery yesterday and absolutely freezing. Mind you as I write this at 8am Sunday, it's snowing quite heavily in Dorset.

After shopping in Yeovil in the morning, always a treat for a countryphile such as myself, plus a spot of lunch at Castle Gardens in Sherborne (amazingly re-opened 2 days after a fire destroyed 50% of the building), in the afternoon I left Thelma to snooze in the warm conservatory, and himself ventured out onto Bulbarow Hill in the teeth of a gale (with a grey wagtail at a ford on the way). And at 900 feet up it was surely a gale. Struggling to get out of the car my first view was an incoming hail shower... which was nice!!

Apart from a woman walking dogs, presumably because she had to, I seemed to be the only one stupid enough to be up there. It was glorious, as I'm addicted to severe weather. I always become depressed in the summer when it's hot and humid as just don't like hot weather. I've always been odd. Give me a cold winter's day, a gale and some wildlife, and I'm in heaven. I have to admit though, this was quite challenging, some gusts really took your breath away and twice I nearly took a tumble. The only way to use the binoculars was to wrap myself around a fencepost to stop them shaking too much. But worth it.

Huge numbers of Corvids up there, particularly Rooks and Carrion Crows. Spent a bit of time watching Rooks pestering a Buzzard which was flying a bit too close. Amazing how agile Buzzards can be when being mobbed. That was the second Buzzard being mobbed, one at Clifton Maybank near Yeovil earlier. Very few passerines about, but hunkered in the lee of a hedge Red-Legged Partridge and pheasants, numerous rabbits. Sadly though no Brown Hares - unlike me they had the sense to lie low and keep out of the wind.

However even for me, after an hour I had had enough of being buffeted, so drove to Hammoon. 600 feet lower, the weather could not have been any different. Was it the same day? Still a wind, but I could stand up. Scanning the Stour River, 2 Little Egrets were faffing about by the river.

Also today's quiz - Spot the Duck in the water meadow. Click to enlarge.

In the opposite direction to the Little Egrets, Hambleton Hill. I keep meaning to go up there, not today though.

Finally as it was heading towards sunset, popped to Fiddleford Manor. Absolutely stunning spot with the Mill, a weir and unspoilt scenery. I was watching a "charm" of Goldfinch and some Long Tailed Tit in a tree when a "seep seep" attracted my attention. And indeed, 2 Kingfishers. I watched them flying to and from a branch as I stood on the sluice gates here. Not far from this spot I also found their nest hole. In the evening light, the male particularly turned almost Azure-Purple, glorious. By the way incase you're wondering, females have an oranger lower bill, though not easy to see at times.

And last but by no means least, sunsets. Top was a wonderful cloud formation as a I left Fiddleford, and below it, sun through Common Plantation near Stalbridge, which holds a sizeable rookery, presumably as less than a mile away where most of the rooks in the garden come from. Also a good spot for Roe Deer.

Windy Wednesday

The Beach needs a bit of a clean up I think?

Usually by here the waves have run out of puff, but not today

Yesterday was my first Wednesday off after requesting to work part time for a while (last week felt more like a holiday). However I must be getting old as kept thinking it was Saturday and back at work today I'm thinking it's Monday. If I begin to crave boiled sweets and comfy tartan slippers, shoot me.

So what did I do on my day off? Given a gale was blowing off the Bristol Channel, and armed with some local information (thanks Paul if you're reading this), I popped down to Sand Bay for the high tide at 10am. Gloriously sunny weather, but no idea what the wind speed was, though force 8 gusting force 9 at Weston Super Mare just down the coast was reported, so twice a gust nearly blew me over, which is remarkable for a slim chap like myself.

Any Atlantic storm is funnelled past Devon and Exmoor to the south and Pembrokeshire, South Wales and the Black Mountains to the north and into the Bristol Channel, picking up speed dramatically. First stop is then Sand Bay, which is nice. Add that the Severn Estuary has second highest tidal range in the World (7.1 meters yesterday), a storm with a spring tide can bring remarkable results. Mainly all the detritus of the Atlantic on the beach.

As predicted waders etc were absent as the tide came in, though did have a Curlew, 50 Dunlin and 8 Grey Plover after high tide. Weirdly no Snipe taking off, even though there's good numbers in the marsh. Also 50ish Shelduck. However the Skylarks were fantastic as with the wind they couldn't fly too high, so very close quarters view of their antics with about 7 or 8 on the wing at any one time were a real treat. The small reedbed was swamped, flushing out 5 Reed Bunting. And remarkable my first ever view of a Water Rail flying. Usually these creep about in thick vegetation and rarely break cover. This one was returning to the marsh after presumably being flushed out, not one of the bird world's most elegant fliers, I'd give it null points.

Finally a handful of Rock Pipits about 40 feet away produced a pale bellied pink tinged Pipit with a very conspicuous supercillium, so an almost certain Water Pipit, but in the gale even trying to keep bins steady was a trial.

Speaking of lists, I've done a re-check and missed off from last week a Short Eared Owl at Aust, so with the Knot and Eider, the Water Pipit is definitely numero 118 species this year.

Stormy Weekend - Sunday 9th December (PM)

I'm still not entirely sure why after being buffeted and soaked on Sand Bay in the morning, I had a quick lunch and hopped 10 miles south to the Parrett Estuary off Burnham on Sea, Somerset. I think the wind pounding my head has finally had an effect. Anyway, by the time I got there, the rain had stopped, the sun was up, but the wind was increasing. At one point I nearly came a cropper walking around a corner of the seawall, to be hit by a gust. Using the telescope was entertaining but.......

From the Parrett Mouth to the Sewerage works on the Brue 13.00 to 14.25; Tide out.

Most noticable were the Redshank. I'd spotted 3 then 5, but then at one location 40-45 sheltering from the gale in the lee of a mud bank. At first I'd failed to see them with the bins, but a scope watch of the mud found them, huddled together. In all I'd guess 60 Redshank were in this half mile stretch of river. Close by them were about 10 Wigeon. Also lifted a flock of 100+ Lapwing, again sheltering from the wind in the lee of tussocky grass on the beach. I'd seen a couple but something lifted the whole flock and in the wind they cartwheeled expertly across the mud;

Other Species seen were 40 Oystercatcher on Steart Point (+ 3 on Burnham side), 3 Great Black Backed Gull, numerous Herring and Black Head gull, double figure of Carrion Crow, 3 Mallard, Cormorant, single curlew, 7 Meadow Pipit, 3 Starling, Linnet flock, Chaffinch, Jackdaw, Woodpigeon, Grey Wagtail and Greenfinch.

So in total for the weekend from birdwatching hell, it turned out I'd seen 57 Species, but the redshank had the vote for me. they may be commoner than other waders, but seeing that many was a joy.

Stormy Weekend - Saturday 8th December

In a moment of madness (and to again replace my scope eye piece for the second time), I spent a day at Slimbridge with mate Rob. Given the fact we had strong winds and driving rain in the morning, what promised to be a dreadful day actually ended up being a good "twitch". As the photo shows, these shelduck and lapwing are a bit damp ( I must get a digi-scope)

Birds seen in rough order, 11.00 to 16.00
Pochard, Pintail, 20+ Bewick Swan, Tufted Duck, Wigeon, Black Headed Gull, Coot, Moorhen, 9 Redshank, numerous Shelduck, Rook, Jackdaw (more on these below), Curlew, Teal, Lapwing, Mallard, Canada Goose, Dunlin, Greylag Goose, Chaffinch, Common Gull, Great Tit, Blue Tit, Grey Plover, Juv Herring Gull, Lesser Black Backed Gull, 2 European White Fronted Goose, Woodpigeon, Mute Swan, Cormorant, Buzzard, Cetti's Warbler (heard only as ever) Shoveler, very wet and miserable male Sparrowhawk, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Fieldfare, Little Grebe, roosting Pheasant, Dunnock, Robin, Pied Wagtail, Starling (seen by Rob only but I'll pretend). By 4pm it was almost dark, but the spectacle of over 1000 Jackdaws coming into roost put us a real heartlifting end to what had become a great day.

And to cap it all, in the morning, while talking to Rob "about should we bother" on the phone, 2 Coal Tit, 7 Goldfinch, 5 or 6 House Sparrow, Blackbird and Starling in the garden.

Which makes it 45 species today - oh and a Rabbit and a Grey Squirrel, the latter having a battle of wills on the peanut feeder at Slimbridge with the Woodpecker.

Interestingly, no Grey Heron, Magpie or Long Tail Tit's, and Snipe may have been there but didn't see any either, even though the notice board said "lots"