☀️6C to start then ☀️21C ~
Wind ↙NE@5mph Friday 24th April 2020 ~ Another 'groundhog Day' weatherwise and a pre-breakfast walk around the marina grounds to start.
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| Common Tern ~ Over the marina early morning |
The first bird of note was a
Common Tern, which I could hear immediately as I stepped off the boat. The bird circled around for a short while before heading off to the east.
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| Weasel ~ A pleasant surprise at the marina today |
A few
Swallows passed thru feeding low over the water but no sign of any
Swifts today. A nice change from the birding occurred when I noticed some movement in the vegetation. To my delight, a
Weasel was suddenly peering at me through the vegetation, it was just one of those moments! We played hide and seek for a short while before he scurried off, giving me an opportunity for an ID.
Lesser Whitethroats can be heard daily here now and today I heard two, along with singing
Blackcap,
Willow Warbler and
Chiffchaff. I also came across my first female
Blackcap of the year.
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| Common Sandpiper ~ Along the west bank of the marina |
I don't think I've seen many
Common Sandpiper feeding in the grass, but today I came across this one and managed to get quite close before it spotted me.
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| Dingy Skipper ~ Seven counted during my short stay |
In the afternoon for my daily exercise I decided to cycle, stopping off at Stockton Cutting in search of butterflies, around 4 miles, but to be honest I'm not actually sure on how far you're allowed to cycle during lockdown! As it happens, my visit was cut short when I had to return to the marina pronto as our internet had gone down and Dazza had several conference calls during the afternoon. In the 20 minutes or so I was there I recorded (7)
Dingy Skipper, (4)
Orange Tip, (1)
Small White, (3)
Brimstone, (3)
Peacock & (4)
Small Tortoiseshell.
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| 2nd Little-ringed Plover of the week heading south over the marina |
A few sessions Sky-watching in the afternoon produced a couple of highlights ~ My second
Little-ringed Plover of the week, a further two
Common Terns and a
Yellow Wagtail.
More Images of the Day...
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| Yellow Wagtail ~ Over the marina today |
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| Common Tern |
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| Common Sandpiper |
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| Weasel |
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| Little-ringed Plover |
