31st January 2021: Long-tailed Duck and more on walk at Weston Shore
I took the first picture in this photoset of Starlings, Jackdaw and Woodpigeon on the roof visible out the back from my room today. It was interesting to see the ferocious crow the Jackdaw walk along making the Starlings fly off one by one, it was such dominant behaviour.
We then did our exercise walk at Weston Shore again a favourite of ours by the sea lately where a Long-tailed Duck had been seen. Very early on we were stunned to see a duck fly across the sea chased by gulls and we were thrilled to see this was the Long-tailed Duck! The gulls were attacking it really. It escaped their clutches and flew all the way back along where it had come and we loved looking at it in the binoculars seeing its great white figure. It then settled on the water and I got closer looks at it making out it’s features with the bridge camera. It stayed around though and as we walked along it was settled into a little bay type area opposite the beach where there is a body of water where it had been reported. Here we got stunning views of this bird as it dived and came up, we really got to make out this beautiful and stunning species. I took the fifth picture in this photoset of this bird. This will go down as one of the birding moments of my 2021 I am sure it was just smashing to see this bird so well whilst walking and made me very happy.
This view of the bird was so close that it rivaled when we saw loads of them in Scotland in 2018 and the one at Lymington-Keyhaven nature reserve in 2019 the last time I saw this species before today as my closest ever view of this amazing species I think which I loved. It’s my seventh occasion seeing this bird, as well as today, Lymington and Lossiemouth and Findhorn in Moray, Scotland, I have seen them at Blashford Lakes twice my first ever in 2008 and again in 2019 and at Hayling Island oysterbeds twice in 2013 and 2016. At Findhorn I was watching a Velvet Scoter in the guides’ telescope when a Long-tailed Duck flew in and nearly landed on the scoter a standout moment from this massive trip for us. I saw a Velvet Scoter here earlier this month another duck that this one joins in my club of top birds of 2021 so far. So it was funny that it was the Long-tailed Duck under fire as such today.
To add an update to my month review post earlier today, this took my bird year list 103 pulling away from how many species I had seen in 2016 on this date making 2021 my outright fifth highest ever year list after one month which I would always be really happy with but am especially thrilled with given the times we live in to make it into the 100s again.
Also today I loved seeing another quite exotic you could say seabird that we have seen so many times this year already in my best ever start to the year for them or just best ever year already generally and twice here on previous walks the Great Northern Diver which I took the second picture in this photoset of. We saw one on two occasions this afternoon or it could have been two different birds, we got cracking views of this species again today which I really loved. We saw what it was feeding on in the first view as the photo shows too which was fantastic. I also took the fourth, sixth, seventh and tenth pictures in this photoset today also of a view, a Blackbird, another makeshift waterfall after one I photographed yesterday this one running off from a road and another view.
We saw yet more Common Gulls another regular this month out to sea in a generally brilliant walk for birds this afternoon. It was also great to see lots of Stonechats on the shore, as well as a possible Shag on high structure out to sea it may have been the more likely for here Cormorant it was behind the head of the structure we couldn’t quite truly see it but I did see a Shag was reported there on goingbirding Hampshire today so it could have been it which would have been a great second view of one this year. Mallards made a nice interesting bird to see on the sea and shore here I hadn’t often seen that here before this common bird, there were many Carrion Crows about which I took the third and eighth picture in this photoset of and we got splendid views of Great Crested Grebes right close to us seeing what beautiful birds they are again they really did look so bright and colourful as the ninth picture in this photoset I took of one shows. This brought to an end a fantastic and bird filled weekend and month one I am so thankful for as I said earlier. I hope you have all had a good one.
Wildlife Sightings Summary: My first Long-tailed Duck of the year, one of my favourite birds the Great Crested Grebe, Great Northern Diver, Mallard, Common Gull, Black-headed Gull, Great Black Backed Gull, Herring Gull, Stonechat, Blackbird, Carrion Crow, Cormorant and possibly a Shag.
