Showers at first light then a dry day with a light east breeze.
Near Naze and Heliport - Malcolm
Shag 1 juvenile feeding out from Half Moon Bay
There were c1000 Knot circling a couple of hours before high water but they headed north. They didn't roost on the Sunnyslopes groyne today either. I would normally check the skear on the ebb on these tides, but it wouldn't start to be exposed till 15:15, and by that time the light is already fading! Still, it's the shortest day of the winter today, we will slowly gain more daylight now.
Oystercatcher c5000 on the sloping sea wall
Redshank 20
Dunlin 4
Bar-Tailed Godwit 1
Lapwing 6
Common Snipe 2 seen, almost certainly more in the long grass
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| Lapwings |
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| Bar-Tailed Godwit |
Imperial Rd - Malcolm
Both the male and female Stonechat were present.
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| The female was feeding in an area that this Wren clearly regarded as its own. |
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| It had been "clicking" furiously, but stopped as soon as the Stonechat moved on |
No Water Rail heard
Kestrel 1
Mute Swan 1 immature bird flew NE
Raven 2 - moved through from the south and were last seen heading east along the bypass. Neither bird made a single call.
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| Raven |
Middleton Nature Reserve - main pond - Malcolm
I went to see if the Mute Swan that flew over Imperial Rd came from here, but all the regular 6 immature Swans were still here.
The other wildfowl was as recent. These are some of the 18 Tufted Ducks feeding. The grunting are the Mute Swans expecting to be fed
South shore - Janet 12:00
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| Cormorants |
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| Oystercatcher and Turnstone |
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| Oystercatcher and Curlew |
These Cormorants are fighting over a Bass. Bass are a very dense fish and this one must be a high proportion of weight of the Cormorant that swallows it.
