Another few days back on the coast, beginning with sub-zero temperatures and snow flurries and ending with a more typically blustery and overcast thaw. Not a great deal of time spent birding, but often surrounded by the telltale evidence of cold weather movements - Woodcocks seemingly everywhere, huge flocks of Woodpigeons (and plenty of Stock Doves), plenty of winter thrushes, and streams of Lapwings peppered with Golden Plovers.
Fieldfares
An afternoon out and about with the old man and the Mrs (ostensibly to test drive the former's fancy new lens) provided a good selection of species with the very minimum of effort - Scarborough's south bay car park and a palmful of bread brought us Mediterranean Gulls at close quarters (see following post), Scarborough Mere was all but completely frozen but still hosted a male Red-crested Pochard (see below), and a diversion via Forge Valley gave us close encounters with a wide range of local woodland species, including Marsh Tits.
Marsh Tit
Nuthatches
Long-tailed and Coal Tits
Stock Dove
three figures of Yellowhammers & Reed Buntings, thanks to a wild bird crop on the head
male Red-crested Pochard, Scarborough Mere
Woodcock
