We're WOWing again

After seven months the news is good - WOW has re-opened with all the Covid secure measures in place. Hopefully it can stay open long enough for me to get there and do a bit of warm, caffeine fuelled, toilet accessible and socially distanced birding. Today gave 36 species including two for the patch - raven and stonechat. Other notable ticks were buzzard, little egret, knot, snipe and shelduck. No wigeon or coot. The grass is too long for the former and the latter have gone off for their winter break. This curlew came over to the side nearest the observation room - a rare event indeed. It was good to be back and long may it last.

Curlew

View from the observation room

 Walks along the coast have been enjoyable with autumn kicking in. The garden produced a garden/patch tick in the form of a rather splendid cock pheasant which hung around my garden and the neighbouring garden for over two hours. Fortunately there was no sign of the bird-killing cat. I have also had a baby hedgehog in daylight - about an hour or so before sunset. Not a good sign as it was probably desperate for food. It needs to weigh 600g to survive hibernation and I feel it has a way to go on this front.  We also had superb views of a goldcrest in the fuschia just outside the door - less than a metre away but so active it was a nightmare to get a photo at all never mind a good one. It just kept moving and wing fluttering all the time, so in most shots it was just a blur.

Pheasant

Spot the goldcrest

There it is!!

 2020 

154: White wagtail

NDCP

69: Buzzard

70: Stonechat

71: Pheasant

WOW

90: White wagtail

91: Raven

92: Stonechat