Early morning walk around the Cemy.

Monday 2nd December 2024.

Another beautiful dawn over the Cemetery.

I had most of the morning off today and so took the dogs for a much longer walk around Highland Road Cemetery. Another dry dawn this morning after the overnight rain produced a spectacular sunrise again and it was fairly mild too with temperatures around 10 degrees with a light westerly wind. A reasonably good total of 17 species of birds were recorded today that included both Great Spotted and Green Woodpecker and also the female Sparrowhawk showed well today.

Above, three of the four Brent Geese flying north over Southsea from the Cemy and below, the male Sparrowhawk giving me the 'evil eye'!

I was watching a flock of Long-tailed Tits flitting about the vegetation, waiting patiently for a decent opportunity to take a few photos of them when suddenly their alarm call went off and I caught something flying past me and land up in a tree. It was the male Sparrowhawk. In fact, after the bird flew off, it was seen again twice more during our walk.

Above, the Green Woodpecker showed well and below, one of the dozen or so Long-tailed Tits by the footpath.

The Green Woodpecker showed well too, this time half way up a small tree as I filmed it preening itself. The Great Spotted Woodpecker, however, was not as cooperative and was heard only somewhere over on the west side of the Cemy. The Long-tailed Tit flock, which contained at least a dozen birds, also had among them a pair of Goldcrests and a Blue Tit, though both species were difficult to see. Earlier, a small flock of 4 Brent Geese flew northbound high over the Cemy when we entered the site, probably having come off the greens by the sea front.

Above, a Long-tailed Tit and below, the Green Woodpecker.

As always, my ‘local patch’ always produces something good to look at, even in Winter, where to be honest, anything can turn up; but it is always nice to see the common birds go about their business here.

The Green Woodpecker preening this morning in the Cemetery.

The birds seen or heard in the Cemetery this morning included the following:

• Herring Gull
• Brent Goose
• Wood Pigeon
• Feral Pigeon
• Collared Dove
• Blue Tit
• Long-tailed Tit
• Goldcrest
• Blackbird
• Great Spotted Woodpecker
• Green Woodpecker
• Sparrowhawk (male)
• Carrion Crow
• Jay
• Magpie
• Robin 
• Wren

I just love the way the sun reflects on the early morning clouds.