Saturday 27 March 2010

14:00 Sunny intervals 9 o C. Wind w 13mph. Humidity 73%. Pressure 1005 mB. Visibility very good. High tide today 21:24, 8.74m



A fresh day, with a brisk west wind. The moorhen is still around. The swans seem to be starting a nest on the pontoons, near to where the terns nested last summer.



Albert Edward Dock
Blackheaded gull x 100
Lesser black backed gull x 20
Common gull x 10
Mallard duck x 10
Cormorant x 8
Coot x 5
Moorhen x 1
Mute swan x 2

Thursday 25 March 2010

14:00 White cloud 12 o C. Wind S 13mph. Humidity 73%. Pressure 966 mB. Visibility good. High tide today 19:11, 7.55m

Quite a few cormorants on the pontoons today. A moorhen was swimming in and out of the pontoons on the south side and there was possibly another moorhen on the opposite side, near the car park. It was a little too far away to see the lateral markings clearly, & facing in the wrong direction, but could see no white markings on the face or head to suggest it was a coot.



Albert Edward Dock
Blackheaded gull x 80
Lesser black backed gull x 10
Common gull x 2
Mallard duck x 10
Cormorant x 15
Coot x 6
Moorhen x 1

Sunday 21 March 2010

14:00 Sunny intervals 10 o C. Wind SSW 9mph. Humidity 68%. Pressure 1016 mB. Visibility good. High tide today 14:17, 8.55m Dock gates open.

There is model yacht racing in the Albert Edward dock today, near to the slipway.


The swans are up at the other end of the dock just now, otherwise they may just take exception to these roughly 'swan height' intruders.

In the dock basin
Blackheaded gull x 10
Lesser black backed gull x 2

The blackheaded gulls look so diminutive next to the black backs

Saturday 20 March 2010

12:00 Light Rain 9 o C. Wind N 8mph. Humidity 96%. Pressure 1000 mB. Visibility very poor. High tide today 13:40, 8.85m

What a difference a day makes. Miserable, grey, drizzle all morning, still feeling mild. Far more cormorants in the dock today, perhaps a sign of storms elsewhere. Fewer gulls though.

Albert Edward Dock
Blackheaded gull x 50
Lesser black backed gull x 10
Common gull x 5
Mallard duck x 10
Cormorant x 12
Coot x 4
Mute swan x 2

The garden pond is currently full of croaking frogs, the singing is so loud the double glazing hardly seems to muffle it. It's a regular Frog Chorus when we go outside.

There was a moorhen in the shrubbery this morning, eyeing the garden pond interestedly. I wonder if it's the one I saw in the dock basin earlier this week.

Friday 19 March 2010

15:00 Sunny 12 o C. Wind WSW 10mph. Humidity 56%. Pressure 1010 mB. Visibility very good. High tide today 13:08, 9.05m

The dock is coming to life again now; people getting boats ready for the summer, birds putting on summer plumage and starting their courtship displays.



Albert Edward Dock
Blackheaded gull x 100
Lesser black backed gull x 20
Common gull x 10
Mallard duck x 30
Cormorant x 3
Coot x 10
Mute swan x 2

Thursday 18 March 2010

15:00 White cloud 15 o C. Wind S 16mph. Humidity 64%. Pressure 1004 mB. Visibility good. High tide today 12:38, 9.17m

A blustery afternoon down on the Bullnose, temperature still mild.

The blackheaded gulls are now beginning to show summer plumage. In winter they lose the black head (which is actually a dark chocolate brown) and show only a dark smudge behind the eye.

In the dock basin

Blackheaded gull x 20
Mallard duck x 2
Cormorant x 1
Moorhen x 1

Wednesday 17 March 2010

15:00 Sunny intervals 12 o C. Wind SW 12mph. Humidity 76%. Pressure 1018 mB. Visibility very good. High tide today 12:08, 9.21m

A mild, pleasant afternoon.



The Prestonian is out of the water for a spring clean and spruce up.

In the Albert Edward Dock:-



Blackheaded gull x 120
Lesser black backed gull x 10
Common gull x 20
Mallard duck x 6
Cormorant x 3
Coot x 6
Mute swan x 2

Thursday 4 March 2010

Albert Edward Dock

15:00 Sunny 6 o C. Wind WNW 8mph. Humidity 49%. Pressure 1027 mB. Visibility good. High tide today 13:40, 9.73m



Another dry cold bright day, pleasant in the sun. No sign of any nest-building activity on the pontoons and jetties yet. 2 Canada Geese briefly alighted in the lock yesterday, but were soon discouraged by the cob mute swan's aggressive display.

Blackheaded gull x 120
Lesser black backed gull x 20
Mallard x 2
Cormorant x 15
Coot x 6
Mute swan x 2

Tuesday 2 March 2010

15:00 Sunny Intervals 7 o C. Wind E 2mph. Humidity 70%. Pressure 1023 mB. Visibility good. High tide today 12:19, 10.19m


March had a rather chilly start yesterday, but today really feels like spring has sprung. It was frosty first thing and there is still a bite to the air, but no cold wind or sleet.

In the dock basin

4 blackheaded gulls
2 mallard