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Here in Cuba there seems to be a mint crisis, so no Mojitos for us.  There’s no shortage of beer and rum, though.  The birds are pretty good as well: here’s a couple.

Cuban Emerald

Cuban Grassquit

About an inch fell last night in Worthing, giving us just enough for a snowman.

We’ll be a lot warmer soon, as it’s off to Cuba this week.

We’ve been up to the Burgh a few times this year, but failed to find the Short-eared Owls and female Hen Harrier that have overwintered there.  On Saturday that changed, with views of three owls and the harrier, although in poor light.

Or possibly the west.  We went to Weymouth today to twitch a Ross’s gull, a rare vagrant Arctic gull that breeds in northern Siberia, Greenland and a few bits in the far north of Canada.  The expectation was for a long vigil as the bird is mobile and, while it has some more regular haunts, it is unpredictable.  The reality was much better, a wait of less than an hour before it came and showed superbly.  What a superb bird: tiny and exquisitely dainty.

An Avocet brightened up the wait

The Ross’s Gull looks tiny compared to the Black-headed Gulls

Spoonbill

This week brought snow to Britain and Worthing was no exception.  In our back garden we had a drift up to half an inch deep.  Something of a let down, considering everywhere else seems to have had a proper fall,  but it has been just as cold here as in the rest of the country, and that brings birds to us.

There was a significant westward movement of Lapwing on Wednesday and some of them stayed: we had a flock of 44 today, along with a Golden Plover, which is only the second time we’ve had one at home.  A few Snipe and a brief views of an uncooperative Barn Owl brightened up a dull Friday afternoon, but our biggest surprise came on Saturday night when our efforts at spotlighting failed to find any waders, but found a couple of Badgers in the field behind us.

Apologies for the quality of the photos: it has been very dark.

Lapwing

Lapwing

Long-tailed Tit (that’s snow in the background, honest)

Fox

A fair question.  We haven’t been out much and when we have, the birds have been distant.  Sunday was no exception, with a freezing vigil at Horse Eye Level eventually yielding a nice male Hen Harrier and a Marsh Harrier, but not the hoped-for Short-eared Owl.  As ever, everything was distant, so the only photo is of some backlit sheep in a reed bed.

The garden is a dangerous place to be today.  A male Sparrowhawk is making frequent visits, a Kestrel is knocking about, a Buzzard is a bit farther away (too distant for a decent photo) but best of all a Peregrine has taken up residence for the last few days.  A cooperative bird, it flew over calling while I was telling my neighbour to look out for it.  Better still, it was carrying its lunch.

Where is everybody?

Pigeons beware!

Lunch on the go.

A day of strong, bitterly cold north-easterlies was challenging, but didn’t stop us having a good time at Dungeness.  Highlights were Glaucous, Caspian and Iceland Gulls, and our first male Smew for a few years.

A gull frenzy at The Patch

Glaucous Gull, first winter

Caspian Gull, first winter

Smew

Black-throated Diver

Up in civilisation for Christmas, we crossed the border into Lancashire for a gloriously cold day’s winter wildlife.

Leighton Moss delivered our first ever Otter in England, as well as three Egret species and some of the tamest Robins and other common birds I’ve ever seen.  Pilling Lane ends were goosetastic.

An Otter came close, but in horrendous light

Great Egret

Mute cygnet

Marsh Tit

An outrageously tame Robin. The zoom was more of a problem than a help.

Cattle Egret

Three Merlins in a day is special. Trying to digiscope one in a hide apparently made out of rubber while the everyone is jumping up and down isn’t.

Q: Why couldn’t the warbler buy a Christmas pint in Titchfield?

A: Because it was Barred