A balmy minus 4 today (if these aren't the perfect conditions to play "buck-naked snow angels", then I don't know what are), but no sign of the snow clearing, so I was surprised to find the garden feeders deserted when I got home to Dempsey Towers.
Looking up to the big sycamore the reason soon became obvious - a young Sprawk was preening and eyeing the bushes below for dinner.
Too good to resist a few attempts at digiscoping through the back window - even in the fading light.
Superb bird - the white blotches on the youngster's back only helping camouflage on a snowy, grey afternoon.
It didn't move much for ten minutes, until the Blackbirds and Woodpigeons returned to stripping my cotoneaster bush of berries.
This latter feeding behaviour is particularly irksome, as the shrub is clearly - and fruitlessly - labelled "Waxwings only".
Suddenly whoosh, the Sprawk was onto a female Blackbird in seconds, although the thrush managed to dive into the bottom of a hedge, evading capture by a feather's breadth.
Blackbird 1, Sprawk 0.
Once the accipter had gone, a few Chaffinches and a single Brambling appeared in the treetops again, but best of all two calling Tree Sparrows came through - only the second and third I've had at a Dempsey Towers.
Not much time for birds on the coast at present (they need to be left alone in these conditions) - although a few family groups of Whoopers have headed north, and displaced Skylarks, Fieldfares and Redwings have been calling overhead.
Eyes to the skies everyone, eyes to the skies...
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9 Waxwings in Holmwood Drive, Formby.
21/12/10
Just to wish you and Mrs JD happy christmas and a prosperous new year !!! and thank you for another year's superb webfest !!! only 9 days and we'll be back to 0 on the yearlist !!
have a good one.
Was up visiting Neill at the weekend and experienced first hand the incredible amount of snow in Southport - must be the most for over 20 years if not longer! Some high movements of Pinkies with a few straggler Lapwings were the limit of downtown bird movements...would have tried for the Firecrest but access to the Hesketh Park and the north end of town was by reindeer sleigh or skidoo only!
Happy Christmas John!
Many thanks for the excellent pics and pros in 2010.
We're off to Bruges for the christmas period [if we get beyond the soddin M25!] We hope to get to the Zwin reserve nr Ostend on Boxing Day. Nice birding on the estuary. Interesting 'Zoo' bit too where they care for various injured
birds eg black-winged stilts, turnstones, terns etc etc plus the usual wildfowl and Raptors.
Anyone been?
One Ring Necked Parakeet at the entrance of Meols Hall, Churchtown this afternoon
Unusual sight yesterday of a male Blackcap sitting high up in one of my Birches together with 5 Redwings. A new (female) Blackcap appeared today. Meanwhile the resident Coal Tit raided the bird table and hid half a dozen tasty morsels in several dwarf Junipers around the garden which is where the local Magpies usually hide their spare rations.
Hi Nogbad,
I haven't been to Het Zwin but I have visited Uitkerkse Polder which isn't too far from Ostend at Blankenberge:
http://www.uitkerkse-polder.be/tekst_engelsnieuw.html
http://waarnemingen.be/gebied/info/31272
A really nice reserve - well worth a visit; the visitors centre is really well done and serve a cracking cup of coffee :)
I popped over for a daytrip (living a few miles away from the Ramsgate-Ostende crossing) to see the Snowy Owl that wintered there the year before last.
Hope this helps,
Rob
Cheers Rob. I shall bear that in mind for future visits. Couldn't get in Zwin as it was closed because of ice/snow. However it was interesting to see Storks sitting on street lights in nearby towns instead of pigeons! Serious numbers of desperate looking Barnacle Geese in fields and passing overhead.
Happy New Year to all!