The year started with incredibly mild conditions although a decent wind and high tide ensured plenty of spray blasting cars parked on TH's seafront. Needless to say everyone was out for their January 1st family outings etc which meant it was busier than any day since the parking charges were introduced.
The Velvet Scoters (8) were seen by others but I couldn't be bothered to try and find black dots disappearing in the choppy sea - that can wait for another day.
Chatting to a couple from Salisbury meant I completely forgot to look at a Curlew feeding in the meadow, the only one of the day, and so reduced my count even further!!
The bird/s of the day were, without doubt, the 80 or so Golden Plover, which arrived during a brief sunny spell which highlighted their beautifully coloured upperparts but which were typically hesitant to land, especially with high water levels and little space left. These were my first for exactly three years - how has that happened?
A Kingfisher did a fly past but, with the sun hidden, appeared as a miniature black exocet for all of two seconds thereby defeating the various photographers!!
After previous visits with typically 50-85 Snipe today produced only seven; and, despite many looking, no sign of the recently resident Jack Snipe.
Three hours and as many kilometres produced 56 species with notable absentees Eider, Little Egret and Sparrowhawk.
Back home a quick look at the 'mini patch' produced House Sparrow, Coot and Meadow Pipit but not Collared Dove nor Sparrowhawk and, whilst not that hard to see nearby, two Kestrels chasing each other at some speed south over the garden towards dusk was a nice sight - presumably off to roost nearby.
Total 59
( A couple of bumblebees, presumably Buff-tailed, and several Episyrphus balteatus on sheltered and sunlit Ivy - temperature mid 50s Fahrenheit!!)
Today, Sunday was a non-birding outing with M for coffee and tea-cakes but which managed, by dint of a minor homeward detour, to add Little and Cattle Egret to the list with tomorrow scheduled to knock off a few more local species.
But yesterday and today have brought home one truth. A limited year's birding makes no sense and so '400pikm2' bit the dust after just 36 hours. I doubt that 2021 will see any/many trips out of the areas of south Hampshire and West Sussex and so introducing a smaller limit, especially one that still requires driving, seemed fruitless but I will probably keep a 20km list and try to investigate some new areas, although probably with insects in mind rather than birds. And hopefully I can motivate myself to take a few more photos this year.
Total 61
