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Sunday, March 26, 2023

1st to twenty second January – A brand new 12 months and a busy shutdown


Sturdy westerly winds up
to the fifteenth. Gentle winds from the northwest on the 2nd and lightweight to average winds
from the sixteenth.

It’s now the top of one other busy shutdown, the one month
of the 12 months when the island is closed to guests. This permits us to finish
necessary upkeep work on the properties.

Satan’s Kitchen © Stuart Cossey
West Coast © Stuart Cossey
Kistvean Pond © Stuart Cossey

17 Mallard stay
across the island and as much as 11 Teal
have been seen on Pondsbury. A male Widespread
Scoter was off the Touchdown Seashore on
the 18th. The Greylag Goose
remained in Barton’s Discipline. A single Woodpigeon
was in Quarter Wall Copse on the first. One other was then seen in Millcombe from
the seventeenth. Water Rail have been calling in Millcombe and one was flushed by Quarter
Wall on the seventeenth.

A flock of 25 Oystercatcher
had been seen roosting bellow Tibbets on the thirteenth. Pairs have additionally began to
unfold out alongside the East Coast. Golden
Plover had been heard flying over on the
ninth and seventeenth. Two had been then seen in Brick Discipline on the twentieth and had been joined by
a 3rd on the twenty second. A Woodcock was
flushed from Millcombe on the twentieth and one other from alongside the Decrease East on the
twenty second. Snipe have been widespread within the
moist areas across the island and a single Jack
Snipe was flushed on the seventh. A
small flock of Purple Sandpiper appear to be wintering on
the island with 4 seen at Brazen Ward on the first and 9 there on the thirteenth.

Purple Sandpipers, Brazen Ward © Stuart Cossey
Purple Sandpipers, Brazen Ward © Stuart Cossey
Golden Plover, Brick Discipline © Stuart Cossey

As much as 280 Herring Gulls had been within the farm fields in the course of the sturdy winds originally of the month. This then slowly dropped to round 100 as winds calmed down. Amongst the massive gulls a Juvenile Yellowlegged Gull was seen on the sixteenth and an grownup Iceland Gull on the twenty second. Off the East Coast the seawatching improved on the sixteenth when 500 Kittiwake had been seen in addition to eight Widespread Gulls. When the winds calmed Fulmar and Guillemot started to return to Jenny’s Cove to examine nest websites. It was additionally straightforward to pick six Pinkthroated Divers on the twentieth and three on the 21st. As much as three Nice Northern Divers have been within the Touchdown Bay.

Nice Northern Diver, Touchdown Bay © Stuart Cossey
Iceland Gull, Excessive Avenue Discipline © Stuart Cossey

A number of birds of prey remained on the island over winter with
a Kestrel seen on the first and seventh. Peregrine, Sparrowhawk and Merlin
have been seen extra frequently. The Jackdaw
first seen on the twenty third October remains to be current and infrequently seen foraging within the
Tenting Discipline.

It has been quiet for small birds. Two Goldcrest have been overwintering in Millcombe and had been joined by
three new birds on the twentieth. Single Redwing
had been seen on the 2nd, twentieth and 21st. The primary Stonechat of the 12 months was seen on the seventh and a pair had been in South
West Discipline on the twenty second. A small flock of Chaffinch
have been roosting in Millcombe. 17 had been seen on the 2nd and some new birds
elevated the rely to 24 on the twentieth. Two Siskin
flew over on the sixteenth. A number of Linnet
had been seen flying over throughout calm climate. 22 had been recorded on the 2nd, two on
the seventeenth and 31 on the twentieth.

Stonechat, Pointless Wall © Stuart Cossey

In non-avian information, a Harbour
Porpoise was seen off Rat Island on
the seventh and two had been searching off Brazen Ward and Gannets Rock on the thirteenth and
14th. One other was off The Battery on the 21st. Two small Portuguese Man o’ warfare had been washed up on Satan’s Kitchen.

Portuguese Man o’ Struggle, Satan’s Kitchen © Stuart Cossey

 Contributors: Stuart Cossey, Rosie Ellis

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