Wednesday 24 December 2014

Guilty as charged

Lade - 1000hrs - mild, cloudy, drizzle, nw 2 - Spent the morning flogging the local patch where there was plenty on offer but nothing much new. Mockmill sewer, the scrub behind the `mirrors` and beside north pit was full of Blackbirds and a few Song Thrushes. Three Snipe were flushed from the sewer, while two Marsh Harriers and a Kestrel were hunting the fields by the airport where also two Stonechat, Skylarks and Mipits. The lakes held the usual waterfowl including Red Crested Pochard and Goldeneye.
We then cut down Seaview road to the dunes where a couple of birders had just reported the Snow Bunting further north on Greatstone Beach. However, scanning down that way I could see loads of dogs running along the tideline, and being a responsible dog owner I`d just have to say something  and end up getting in a row, and we wouldn't want that, would we... so we chickened out and carried on south. With the tide up 20 Sanderlings and Turnstones scurried amongst the flotsam opposite the tavern, while 20 Knots and 10 Barwits roosted amongst the Oystercatchers. There was nothing much on the bay apart from a few gulls and Great Crested Grebes.


                                Jim the seaside cat - guilty as charged                              

Back home Mrs PT`s Jim, the seaside cat, was sitting on the lawn with a Collared Dove that he`d just lovingly murdered. Domestic cats are Britain`s most popular pet and there are millions of them, goodness only knows how many birds and mammals they kill, still its not their fault, they`re only doing what nature intended, and as usual its us humans that must take the blame.
Anyhow, that`s enough fighting talk for now, speaking of which, while we`re on the subject of unpopular predators (albeit a native avian one) we finished off the day from the Lade aerial mound where at least 41 Magpies came to roost in the willow swamp, and the sunset was pretty good too.


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