Dipper in Lyme Regis

The first bird of the day was this Magpie as we waited for

the 09:15 bus to take us to Lyme Regis where the only snag was the closure of 2 of the main roads, meaning the bus had to drop us at the top of the village.

An advantage as far as we were concerned as the views from the Municipal Park are stunning and we took full advantage, You'll note my reference to 'we' as today I enjoyed the company of my friend Lesley Brown, who enhanced the bright sunshine, clear blue sky with a slightly colder feel all round!

We first walked along the sea-front,

then the groynes, at the east beach, overlooking the landslips and the bay, but there was no sign of the Spotted Sandpiper.

This was followed by a walk out to the Cob with little more than a single Purple Sandpiper for our trouble.

A lone Guillemot was close inshore,

giving a chance for a couple of close shots,

as was an obliging Rock Pipit. A prolonged search was made for the pair of Black Redstart but they seemed to have vanished too,

while a most vocal Dipper did add to the Year List albeit with little more than a fleeting glimpse.

House Sparrow plus another

Purple Sandpiper were seen along the promenade, but that was about all the birding there was for today.

However, Golden Cap, the highest point on the south coast of England, was now seen in good light, as we noticed

this banner advertising the appearance of Whole Lotta Led the best Zeppelin Tribute band I have ever seen, so guess I'll see you at the Marine Theatre on the 11th February?

A Starling on the roof of the Royal Standard pub welcomed us to dine,

Lesley opting for the Fish & Chips, and me the Ham & Eggs.

On leaving the pub we did see several Brown Rats along the River Lym, plus a single

Grey Squirrel in the park, but it was now time to return to Weymouth. With a decent bottle of 'white' in the fridge at my house we got off the bus there, spending the last couple of hours together watching Pink Floyd, George Harrison, REM and Mariza (you really need to take a listen to this lady Mariza on you-tube ) on the DVD. A new day tomorrow - so bring it on!

The Year (January) List now stands at 165

Caribbean Queen - Billy Ocean

A fine start to today's post as the 161st country, and the the first addition of 2012, joins the Country Readership List. The extremely beautiful, jewel of the Caribbean, Saint Lucia where in March 2000 I was fortunate enough to pay a visit and remember it with great affection. We extend a warm welcome to our new readers and hope they might pass on the link to all the friends in the country and elsewhere. Thank You!

A dark and threatening looking sky combined with a fresh westerly breeze gave the feeling that the day was likely to be over very soon after starting, but the clouds rolled through to produce a decent spell of sunny weather.

Looking north from the Concrete Bridge at Radipole.

and looking south from the same position early this morning. With nothing to photograph on the reserve, the only report involved an increase to 18 in the number of Black-tailed Godwits, a reduction in both water level and Common Snipe while very few Gulls had gathered here so far today. The exception to the rule came as a male Marsh Harrier took to the air and began quartering the reed-beds, putting all the Teal to flight and revealing just how many there are. About 100 by my reckoning.

At the bus stop this adult Herring Gull was just posing for a shot, so it got one, before boarding and the first trip to Portland this year.

It was good to be back 'in the fold' and enjoy the sight of the active Lighthouse down at the Bill

and the Old Lower Light which most of you know serves as the Portland Bird Observatory. There was prospect here today of half a dozen additions to the Year List, so first port of call was the Bill to undertake a short sea-watch.

Gulls and gannets were feeding at the edge of the Shambles tidal race, including Kittiwake* which was the first of the 6 to fall to the notebook. The photographs were taken aboard the Buchan Alpha Oil Rig some years ago showing above a juvenile

and here an adult Kittiwake. There were 2 great spectacles here this morning, the first involving many thousands of Auks,

Guillemots and Razorbills, buzzing around backwards and forwards but in no particular direction. The second, was to see a Merlin (our smallest bird of prey) chasing a small song bird out at sea, and then to become the chased itself. From nowhere a Peregrine swooped in and, from what could be seen, made contact with the much smaller Raptor which eventually flew off to seaward.

The scarcest of today's sightings was this high and distant Red-throated Diver which, had it been a little closer

would look a little more like this.

Other birds on the wing included this 1st winter Great Black-backed Gull in company

with an adult Great Black-backed Gull.

The second Year Tick was a single Purple Sandpiper

which barely moved from the rock on which it was perched, while all else included 3 Stock Doves,

this Skylark, one of several very vocal birds,

and this unseasonable Bluebottle. Unfortunately, Fulmar, Chiffchaff, Little & Short-eared Owls didn't show so will have to wait for another day!

The Year (January) List now stands at 164

	1	0.00%	Suriname
	1	0.00%	Cameroon
	1	0.00%	Fiji
	1	0.00%	Albania
	1	0.00%	Guyana
	1	0.00%	Zambia
	1	0.00%	Nigeria
	1	0.00%	Macao
	1	0.00%	Botswana
	1	0.00%	Saint Lucia
	1	0.00%	Aruba
	1	0.00%
	1	0.00%	Turks And Caicos Islands
	1	0.00%	Ghana