Sunday 26th January

A short session on the cliffs this morning, ahead of the rain, produced a small group of foraging Black-headed Gulls, a Great Crested Grebe, a single Red-breasted Merganser, 2 Cormorants, a Shag and best of all, an extremely smart, adult Lesser Black-backed Gull which beat its way into the Wash after a spell sat amongst Black-headed Gulls on the sea below the cliffs. A herald of the spring to come perhaps, these are uncommon birds on the coast in winter and this is the first I've seen on the patch since at least October.

Yesterday's mosses were Wall Screw-moss Tortula muralis (abundant on walls virtually everywhere) and Sand-hill Screw-moss Syntrichia ruraliformis subs. ruraliformis, which is abundant all along the dunes, forming extensive patches of several square meters or more.

Wall Screw-moss Tortula muralis, Holme village 26th January 2014

Sand-hill Screw-moss Syntrichia ruraliformis subs. ruraliformis, Holme Dunes NWT 27th January 2014