Camera woes!

Last week I turned my camera on.......and nothing happened.....dead as a dodo, which is why the posts have dried up! The following day, I had some amazing close views of a juvenile Shag fishing underwater and swimming about either side of the Yarmouth Road bridge....it would have resulted in some of my best ever footage, so I was slightly frustrated! :)

The upshot is that the camera has been sent to the Jessops repair facility....£25 non refundable deposit to find out what's wrong so that - hopefully - I can get if fixed at an affordable price. Hopefully normal service will resume in time, but it could be a while!

Freshwater Bay

Freshwater Bay was a beautiful sight at 8 o'clock this morning, with a light mist moving across the water:



Four Guillemots were feeding off Fort Victoria, and a Gannet from the window of Gossip's Cafe on the Yarmouth waterfront brought a record total of 77 bird species for the week (not that I've been counting for very long!).

Several people were fishing on the pier, this Corkwing Wrasse (and a Ballons Wrasse) being landed as I watched:

Little Gull

I was really pleased when I encountered my first Isle of Wight Little Gull, close to the Freshwater Causeway, first thing this morning. With a really high tide, there were only 3 white 'blobs' on the water and I almost cycled past. But I'm trying to discipline myself to keep looking so I stopped and had a look....and it's a good job that I did! :-)

Its Latin name is Hydrocoloeus minutus and, on the video clip below, you can see just how diminutive it is compared to the Black-headed Gull behind. Indeed, this species has the distinction of being the world's smallest gull.

Small it may be, but it can travel, a juvenile Little Gull ringed in Sweden being found dead on a road in Pennsylvania during its first summer according to an American website.

It took off and looked very tern-like as it bobbed and weaved on its way up the estuary. I didn't re-find it.

Freshwater Bay & Western Yar Valley - week beginning 8th October

Monday
Wednesday - generally overcast and mild.
Thursday - wet!
Friday - sunny; cool to begin with but warming up.
Saturday - sunshine! 

Mute Swan

Canada Goose
Brent Goose - 2 flying down estuary.

Eurasian Wigeon (30)

Eurasian Teal

Mallard

Pheasant
Little Grebe
Grey Heron
Little Egret
Gannet
Cormorant
Buzzard
Kestrel
Sparrowhawk

Water Rail

Moorhen
Coot
Oystercatcher
Ringed Plover
Grey Plover
Lapwing
Snipe
Black-tailed Godwit
Eurasian Curlew
Common Redshank

Turnstone
Black-headed Gull
Little Gull (New Record for Patch - 121st species)
Mediterranean Gull
Common  Gull (New Record for Patch - 120th species)

Lesser Black-backed Gull (First one this year)
Herring Gull

Great Black-backed Gull
Guillemot (4 on water together off Fort Victoria)

Rock Dove

Stock Dove

Woodpigeon
Collared Dove
Kingfisher (Male from Causeway)

Great Spotted Woodpecker 

Green Woodpecker

Magpie
Jay
Jackdaw

Rook

Carrion Crow
Raven
Blue Tit
Great Tit
Treecreeper 
Swallow
House Martin
Sand Martin
Long-tailed Tit

Cetti's Warbler 

Sedge Warbler

Willow Warbler

Chiff Chaff 
Blackcap (2 females)

Goldcrest

Starling
Wren
Dunnock
Robin
Stonechat (4)
Blackbird
Song Thrush
House Sparrow
Pied Wagtail
Rock Pipit
Meadow Pipit
Greenfinch
Chaffinch
Goldfinch

Linnet

Reed Bunting

77 species.

Freshwater Bay & Western Yar Valley - week beginning 1st October 2012

Monday - Showers in the morning; overcast with sunny intervals in the afternoon.
Tuesday - Heavy showers.
Wednesday - Generally overcast.
Thursday
Friday - Sunshine early on; overcast later...followed by persistent heavy rain.
Saturday - Cold first thing but warming up!
Sunday - Sunny first thing, overcast later. 

Mute Swan - (Family of 2 adults & 5 juveniles at Yarmouth; 2 adults including E5K at Causeway)

Canada Goose
Brent Goose (2 in Mill Pool - first of the Autumn that I've recorded here)
Eurasian Wigeon (12 at Kingfisher Bridge)
Eurasian Teal (173)
Mallard(36 male & 17 female)

Pheasant (67)
Little Grebe
Grey Heron
Little Egret
Gannet (1 at Freshwater Bay)
Cormorant (12 at Freshwater Bay)
Buzzard (2)
Kestrel (3)
Peregrine Falcon (Flying across estuary to dead oak opposite Kingfisher Bridge at dusk)
Water Rail
Moorhen
Coot
Oystercatcher
Ringed Plover
Grey Plover (3)
Lapwing  
Black-tailed Godwit (116)
Eurasian Curlew
Common Redshank

Greenshank (2) (3)
Turnstone
Black-headed Gull
Mediterranean Gull (6 in Freshwater Bay: 2 adult & 4 second-winter) 

Great Black-backed Gull

Herring Gull

Guillemot (Flying east-west at Freshwater Bay) (2 off Norton Spit)

Rock Dove
Stock Dove
Woodpigeon
Collared Dove
Kingfisher (Male on Mill Copse Scrape)
Great Spotted Woodpecker 
Green Woodpecker
Magpie
Jay
Jackdaw
Rook
Carrion Crow
Blue Tit
Swallow
House Martin (Several with Swallows over Rofford Marsh)
Long-tailed Tit
Cetti's Warbler 
Sedge Warbler (Very neat individual at Station Pool) 
Willow Warbler
Chiff Chaff 
Blackcap (2 females)
Goldcrest
Spotted Flycatcher (2 in north-west corner of Rofford Marsh) 
Starling
Wren
Dunnock
Robin
Stonechat (Male & female at Station Pool) (Male & female in Mill scrub) (Male & female)
Blackbird
Song Thrush (Rofford Marsh - first one seen for quite a while on the patch!)
House Sparrow
Pied Wagtail

Rock Pipit (3 at Freshwater Bay)
Meadow Pipit
Greenfinch
Chaffinch
Goldfinch
Linnet (flock of about 30 birds)
Yellowhammer (Rofford Marsh: NEW RECORD FOR LIST - surprisingly uncommon here)
Reed Bunting (Female in Mill scrub hedge - 1st seen for some time) (2 - like buses now!)

72 species.