Well at least it is dry for the moment! Down on the bay the
pack ice has started to form again and Monday’s ice cold wind was a bite of the
arctic. It is surprising when you see the news that the Channel Islands have
snow drifts we are getting an easterly blast of the continent and last year in
places the temperature was 18 degrees. The birds do not seem to mind but I feel
that our frog spawn which was laid last week will not survive as their pools
are frozen solid.

The Crooks flock of Golden Plover have taken to roosting on
the newly cut rush fields south of the buildings I counted 1300 on Sunday and
20 Whoopers a couple of fields back off the Bay in amongst the sheep. The Pink
footed geese numbers are holding up well with several flocks of a thousand
foraging around the bay and a thousand Barnacles.

The Lapwings are starting to display.  They do show territorial aggression to another
bird within 20m  and can be seen in a hunched stiff legged walk with the crest down stalking an intruder they will then
run at the intruder if at close range or fly at and mob if a bit further away.

 

One behaviour that I have witnessed several times this last week is
the males rocking display only lasts half a minute but they do repeat it
several times if they are not disturbed.

 

Another is the Scraping Display which is a ritual nesting
and can be there final position if all is agreed. In this display the male can
be seen kicking and pivoting his wings almost vertical and quivering. He then
stands and moves away moving his head from side to side as if throwing in fact
sometimes loss material is used. The female may bend forward and jerk her head
up.

 

Pictures after Cramp. S. 1983 Birds of the Western
Palearctic. Oxford