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Merlin -
If you want to know more about this bird, please visit the RSPB page |
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Apologies for the late arrival of this months newsletter, I’m blaming pressures of work!
The end of November and early December have seen some very wet and stormy weather over our area, and the mild temperatures are making it feel more like October than the end of the year.
The weather reports that I’ve seen suggest that much of the coming month will see more of the same, and that we will probably not see any cold wintry weather until the New Year.
This has affected the bird life that’s around at the moment, with relatively small numbers of winter ducks such as Teal and Wigeon.
Many of these species make their way to the UK as mainland Europe starts to get cold, but as its still very mild they are hanging around longer in Holland and other Northern countries.
Needless to say, that when it does turn cold they will arrive here looking for our usually ice free estuaries to provide them with good feeding grounds.
Similarly, in the garden there doesn’t seem to be as much activity on the feeders as there should be at this time of year. Another problem with the stormy weather is that any food you do put out gets very wet and can go off.
It is very important to try and keep the food dry, as this will stop mould growing, which can cause diseases to spread. I would advise only putting out small amounts of food that the birds will consume each day.
Feeder cleanliness is vitally important so if you see any signs of mould or fungus it is advisable to dispose of any food in the feeder and give it a good clean.
Despite the poor weather there have been a number of good local bird sightings recently. There was a small group of Avocets at Inchmerey in late November, and there have also been sightings of Hen Harrier, Raven and Merlin there too.
I added a "stop press" to last months report about the number of Little Auks seen in the Solent. Harsh weather in the North Sea forced them closer to our area than normal, and there were several sightings in Hampshire including one off Shore road in Hythe.
This latest batch of storms has brought reports of Storm Petrels and Leach’s Petrels off Milford, and they could turn up here too if we are lucky. Similarly other Sea birds could be driven in closer to shore, so it’s possible we might see Gannets, Kittiwakes, Fulmars, Shearwaters, Skuas and Little Gulls.
There is probably slightly more chance of seeing them from Calshot rather than Lepe, but as often applies with birds, you just never know!
If you are at the beach keep an eye open for any movement down on the shingle. Snow Buntings are starting to appear around the south coast and we had a long staying one at Calshot last year.
I would like to wish everyone a very happy Christmas and prosperous New Year.
I have decided to make this my last bird report on Fawley Online, as I’m finding it harder to find the time to sit down and write it.
I would like to thank you all for your support over the past 18 months or so, and would like to finish by saying don’t forget to feed the birds!! Happy birding
Paul
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