December 2023

30th: four waxwings over King's Avenue.

29th: 21 waxwings down the road, feeding on a new Sorbus tree.

Most of the birds are juveniles - it's been tricky photographing adults.

28th: 20 waxwings down the road; a flock of about 25 then headed towards Henleaze.

24th-26th: West Sussex. Red kites at Lyminster and near Salisbury. Grey partridges N of Wilton. Back on Boxing day, and there are now 20 waxwings near the house, even visible from the decking (last photo).

23rd. We's been on waxwing alert for a while as they were spreading south west, but didn't expect to find a flock of 9 about 200m from our house in Bishopston. Magical.

Around 15th-22nd we saw up to 2 firecrests on Clifton Down. Two bullfinches also.

9-11th St Ives. The bay was alive with cetaceans. I could see 50 common dolphins at the surface at one time, probably meaning around 100 were present. A humpback whale appeared on 8th, and I saw it breach distantly on 10th, when there also a second individual apparently in the bay. A great skua was present too.

On 9th I went to Rosudgeon to look for the WHITE-CROWNED SPARROW (subsp. leucophrys, from central and eastern Canada, with pink bill and dark lores), and failed to see it in six hours of looking. I returned after it was reported again on 11th, and had great views.

Showing St Piran's flag on the back of its head!