With still no spells of cold weather (only rain!) 2013/14 is becoming one of the quietest winters for birds locally for some time. Redwings and Fieldfares are only being reported in modest numbers and even the Starling flocks are smaller. The Snipe count on very wet Kenn Moor field reached 115 birds but at Congresbury Moor less than 20.
At the sea wall over 2,000 Dunlin were present with a similar number of Lapwings being harassed by a Short Eared Owl on the 22nd.
The YACWAG Christmas garden bird survey produced few surprises, but John Croxton did have a Chiffchaff in his garden. Mistle Thrushes suddenly became active and visible during a sunny, dry slot.
Further afield, thousands of birds have been displaced by the floods on the Somerset Levels and many have moved to shallow splash flooded areas – a group of 64 Little Egrets were feeding at one such area near Glastonbury.
The storms over the Christmas period drove many seabirds inshore along the south and south west coasts. Jill and I enjoyed a trip to Brixham to see a White Billed Diver, a bird that nests in the High Arctic and normally winters around the coast of Norway. This bird was catching crabs in the harbour along with 15 Great Northern Divers and 3 Black Throated Divers. A Red Necked Grebe and two Guillemots were also there feeding on smaller prey. Probably the storms had forced the normal prey, small fish, too deep to be available and this forced the birds right into the harbour. the Diver species would be well capable of riding out stormy seas.
Trevor Riddle 01934 835208
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