12 Dec 2008

2nd Dec 1988

We spend the morning exploring a deserted camp­site looking for small birds amongst the shrubs, espec­ially tamarisk which was imported from Africa and grows well along the coast here. There are gold­finches, meadow pipits, house sparrows, goldcrests, magpies and skylarks. A song drifts in from the distance, we can't see the singer but think it may be a woodlark.

A cirl bunting sings from the top of a building, then comes towards us and settles on top of a bush quite close by. He is far more heavily streaked than the one we saw the other day, and looks more black than yellow. These birds show individual variation similar to yellowhammers and it is obvious why they could be confused. The rump colour is an ade­quate distinc­tion from behind, but from the front the cirl bun­ting had a dark crown where the yellow­hammer has a yellow one. A cirl bunting in breeding plumage has a black neck band and so should be more dis­tinc­tive. The females, like most female buntings, need a little more time and care to ident­ify.

Out on the beach the constant noise of the surf contrasts with the now calm sunny weather, and the beach material, despite being yellow, is more gravel than sand. A female scoter spends her morning amongst the surf, facing into waves as they break over her but otherwise unconcerned with the situation. Others fly past out to sea. Black-throated seem to be the more common of the divers flying past and on the water. Cormor­ants use the platform of a lighthouse as a convenient roost.

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