29th November 2021 ff
The last post?
This may be the last entry from me this year, but you never know what's going to suddenly shock me into action!
29th November: Great northern diver in Hartlepool marina.
3rd December: Carr Vale NR, near Chesterfield. A confusing reserve and not clearly signposted. There are 2 adjacent reserves, Carr Vale and Peter Fidler and it's unclear to me which was which! May be my fault but I was very puzzled until I met 3 people with 4 enormous black dogs [Newfoundlands, I think] and they put me right. Dogs were super friendly but could easily have knocked me for six!
All this for a distant American wigeon from 'The Mound'!
December 15th: A trip to Hartlepool hoping to see a pair of velvet scoters. Well, I did see them but they were very distant at the far end of the fish dock and, with the set-up I was using that day they weren't photographable. Still there were lots of divers in the outer dock so I focussed on getting pictures of them along with a few guillemots.
A new tribute to Andy Capp has appeared by the Pilot Quay and just below his statue.
Then on to Newburn Bridge for some waders.
Redshanks and ringed plovers...
...a purple sandpiper...
...and, finally, starlings on the rock armour.
I wonder what will come first: the New Year or Lockdown #4?