More Sanderlings

A dry morning after early rain. More showers around lunchtime. A fresh SW wind.

Pete: 0700-0800

Seawatching dire - just 4 Common scoter in an hour 

2 ad and 2cy kittiwake plus 2cy Mediterranean gull Heysham outfalls.  

Heysham skear - Malcolm 09:30 - 11:15  and 15:00 - 16:00

Pale-bellied Brent goose, just 8 seen this morning, 18 this afternoon.

Pale-bellied Brent geese

No Eider seen

Red-breasted Merganser 8 this morning 

Female Red-breasted Merganser

Sandwich Tern 2 this afternoon.

Sandwich Tern

Knot 3000 this morning and similar numbers this afternoon but more fragmented.

At 11:05 something lifted all the waders and joined by the Brent. Such a dramatic 
disturbance is normally the result of a large raptor passing over, but none seen.
Possibly a skua. I remained the only biped on the skear. Time for lunch!

These are some of this afternoon's Knot feeding along the waterline 

The Knot top centre is swallowing a small bivalve, looks like a cockle

The terrain and strong wind meant that it wasn't easy checking the Knot
for flags, some were seen, but no new ones for this "winter".

The Knot are staying later than they have in recent years and many are beginning
to moult into summer plumage. Showing why their full name is Red Knot

Bar-Tailed Godwit 12 seen in the morning 26 in the afternoon 

Bar-Tailed Godwit and Knot

Sanderling 23 this morning. 19 on the skear plus a line of 4 battling south 

Three of the four southbound Sanderling in this shot

Sanderling, still in winter plumage 

Janet:

Male Chaffinch in the Nature Park

Grey Squirrel. That can have a lot of red in their summer coat

Jackdaw taking nesting material to neighbouring house