STILL THE COLD WIND

The cold wind was still blowing on Thursday 11th but that probably suited the two male snow buntings found on the beach by the Point. They haven't been seen for a few days and these two waited until I was just 4 or 5 metres away before they flew off. They blended so well I didn't spot them until I saw the flicker of white wings as they headed off to sit on the nearby mud.

Also seen were 800 golden plover, 200 knot, 4 red-breasted mergansers and 4 great crested grebes. On the grazing fields 200 brent geese including a pale-bellied brent goose, female pintail for the third day and 400+ wigeon. At the pond 15 tufted duck and 4 pochard were present with 3 snipe seen nearby. Thirty fieldfares were seen in fields beside the park and unusually a yellowhammer stopped off briefly.

On Wednesday a male marsh harrier flew over the mud and over the fields, scattering the waders and wildfowl as it went. A little owl was seen in Bromans Lane just after nightfall.

The previous day on Tuesday, 5 species of raptor were seen at the park with a ringtail hen harrier coming over from Colne Point and then over the fields, a male marsh harrier flying up river, a peregrine swooping over the mudflats by the cliff, male sparrowhawk in the car park and the female kestrel roosting in the nestbox at the end of the day.

In the fields on Tuesday the female pintail was feeding in the flooded area, 90 shelduck, 50 redshank, 400 wigeon were seen while 700 brent geese took off from North Farm at dusk.

The moth trap operated at the park through Wednesday night but the cold night temperature resulted in a zero catch. The cold weather has also delayed the adders emerging from hibernation as none have been seen yet, which is nearly 3 weeks later than previous years.