I will get to the gloriousness of today in a while but up until now it has been wet, wild and windy...
As you can see - we almost lost Louise in the maelstrom.... (Tony O'Brien)
Bird wise was was - how should I put this - quiet. It was so windy outside that Tony Houston reported a Swan flying backwards and anything that got above the height of the seawall suddenly found itself up near the railway!
However, it did make for some nice moody landscape shots...
Tony O'Brien
After sunset in the rain... it was a bit gloomy (Tony O'Brien)
And a moody one from Barry Jones...
I had a few rays of sunshine while setting up my exhibition in the Purfleet Hide and could not resist snapping a few of the sparkling ducks right outside. Just love the colours and textures and the the subtlety of the vermiculations on the flanks of a Gadwall.
Gadwall (HTV)
Wigeon - so bright even the green eye patch showed up (HTV)
Dozing Teal (HTV)
A Water Pipit was seen in the storm of yesterday and Barry Chandler got a couple of shots and some visitors from the Pulborough area were very happy.
and here is a slighty buffier bird that Steve Lindall took on Monday.
Amzingly the Goldcrests have still been seen in the woodland but I suppose that they do not really have much a of a choice - find insects or die. Various people have been down to try and get shots of these active little sprites but you have to be quick and the light has been tricky so these images are all the more amazing.
Mark Vale...
Tom Bell...
And so to today where we experienced wall to wall sunshine, no clouds until the very end and a lightening of that pesky wind. Our Short-eared Owls must have been having a nightmare this week with so much wind and rain and so it was not really surprising that they were seen all day long out hunting across the marsh from the edge of the Cordite and Dartford field, out past the corral, over the landfill and out on Wennington. I reckon that at least five were involved today.
Karl Price
A stupendous shot... completely alert - Joanne Josephine
Marsh Harriers were very active with at least four seen today and Buzzard, Peregrine, Sparrowhawk and our tame Kestrels made for a good raptor day while clouds of Lapwing and about 80 Golden Plover and many Starlings twisted and truned at the slightest provocation. The pair of Ravens were kronking teir way around.
Mixed bunch - Trevor Oakley
Love this shot of a Kestrel being harried by a Carrion Crow (Andrew Wakefield)
Cetti's Warblers were in fine fettle with at least 13 singing on the circuit and both Dartford Warblers were seen between the Bogwood/Troll bridge area and the no access gate out onto the marsh along with their Stonechat buddies.
The male Darty- Joanne Josephine
the male Stonechat - Emily Leonard
The female - Joanne Josephine
And so we end up at Christmas Eve in just a few short hours time. One more day before two days of feasting and hopefully snoozing before off we go again on Sunday morning.
23-12-15
Howard Vaughan, Information Officer