Lodmore

So, a whole weekend off, flying solo as Mrs PB was working, and no specific chores to do.... sounds like a recipe for disaster I hear you cry!! Saturday was forecast a bit grey and a bit blowy (forecast was right!) so I decided on a Sunday soujourn to "sunny" (almost but not quite) Weymouth. Forecast I saw was sunny intervals, with wind picking up through the morning... after about 9 it was more intervals than sunny, and the wind was bitter.... but still, I battled bravely, to bring you, dear viewers, a traditionally long winded post!

I left hoe just after 7, and as the deer in their park were fairly close I pulled in for a snap or two.... only one had a deer actually looking in my direction!

Driving on, hoping to get to Lodmore in some still golden light, I got distracted by something BIG in the air.... I knew there was a layby about 50 yards further along the road, so aimed for that, passing the BIG thing..... and as I pulled in, and jumped out of the car another BIG thing cruised by..... and then a third came in to view directly in front of me. I've often bemoaned not seeing a Red Kite perched... and this one doesn't count either, as it was landed for barely 3 or 4 seconds... just time to cry out

None of the three interracted with one another, but on my way home around 11 the three were stilll in the rough vicinity of eachother, but a couple of miles further along the road

The light was a little peculiar, trying to be golden hour soft and lovely, but also diffused through the clouds

I got to Lodmore, and immediately was greeted by one of a number of Black Headed Gulls, gliding by

Followed by one of the Herring Gulls 

Along the path a couple of Dunnocks were playing "lets keep our bums to the camera so he can't get a shot"... this one lost!

There were a good few Robins about, this one with a definite hint of "Autumn Sunset" about his head

There weren't many Swans about

And even fewer Goldfinch (this is the only one I saw!)

I wondered if this may be a Cettis, as I was defended by one or two, but Google Lens came up with Chiffchaff... any thoughts?

The sun caught Bluey nicely, as he totally ignored my presence and kept singing away

One of the many, many Lapwings

And one of the Black Backed Gulls

I told you there were many, many.... I may have missed another many or two out!

And then there were even more of these littler ones, flying higher..... I'm not sure what spooked them, but they stayed up, almost murmurating, for a long while

A splash of colour amongst the greenery

Bit of a surprise for me, I'd not realised there had been and Spoonies sighted there recently

A few Moorhen scurried about feeding

The most numerous ducks were Wigeon, closely followed by Teal

This fella was quite close to the path, and looking a bit fed up at all the passers by!

I'd been hoping to catch the Golden Plovers before the sun was clouded out, but unfortunately not

The Plovers and Lapwings intermingled

Don't think I've seen Golden Plover extended plumage before!

Almost as infrequently seen by me as the Golden Plover... a Greenfinch

Possibly the cause of the Lapwing and Golden Plover getting airborne... magnificent bird!

A pair of Avocet were snoozing, and occasionally having a scratch and a stretch

Common Snipe, surprisingly not hidden away!

Not sure if there were 3 Mash Harriers, or two and a Buzzard, but they all stayed very distant

A bit of a skydance going on

Can't quite work out exactly what's what or what's going on here!

But they seemed to separate OK!

Another jolly Robin popped up

I spotted a lady I was walking towards taking some pics of something over the fence, but couldn't see what her target was. A wren hopped away, and I thought, aww I missed it... then something else hopped up onto the fence..... thanks Linda. for letting me borrow one of yours

And so concluded a rather marvellous morning!!

Thanks for viewing, and sticking with it.

Stay Safe All