Withsails and I

The patch year list continues to develop as January progresses, with additions of little auk yesterday and meadow pipit today, bringing the months total up to 64. This is the highest score I've ever achieved in January, although thats a somewhat misleading statement as In he last 5 years I've never spent so much of this month at home. All that will soon change though as I'll be off to the G.O. Sars on Tuesday, meaning that Monday will be my last chance of the month to add some dross like kittiwake or skylark...

Still, it's been a good month - or at least it has ended will, with 2 otter sightings this week, along with little auk, med gull and iceland gull. It sounds like the icer ended up in Seaton Park as Phil Cruttenden had one there yesterday, a dark 1st winter - which is exactly how I'd describe mine (well, the dark bit anyway - I didn't see it well enough to try and age it)

Aside  from the meadow pipit, todays main 'interest' came in the form of an eider sporting a rather prominent pair of sails. It was displaying to a couple of females with 8 other adult drakes in the harbour, and as a result of being pretty distracted, showed really well. Aside from the sails, it showed pretty bog standard bill colour and frontal process structure that was well within variation for common eider. It's legs were a little on the yellow side - but then I didn't really note the leg colour of any of the other drakes.