Fine sunny day on Brownslade and Linney Burrows

Yesterday (18th Dec) managed a day on the Range helping with a general biological survey of the dune area. It was a fairly quiet day for birds but noteworthy species included c. 1000+ golden plover noted frequently in the air over Freshwater West area. Two days earlier, Annie and had I noted a similar-sized (but almost certainly different) flock flying over fields near Martletwy where we often see them in winter.

Yesterday, flocks of lapwing were quite widespread over the dune grassland - probably in excess of 500. Numbers of waders on the beach at Frainslake were modest but included c. 70 oystercatchers, c. 50 curlew and a few ringed plovers. Offshore there were 2 red-throated divers.

In Frainslake Valley a single tufted duck was present on the millpond and there were several little grebes there, including trilling males plus not less than 7 water rails in the nearby swamp. Towards dusk raven numbers were building up at a scrub roost-site; in excess of 50 had been noted before we had to leave the Range. Very few winter thrushes were recorded and surprisingly only a couple of choughs seen all day - they're probably somewhere on the Angle peninsula.