Take solace in the solstice

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

Lapwings

Bar-Tailed Godwit

Imperial Rd - Malcolm

Both the male and female Stonechat were present.

The female was feeding in an area that this Wren clearly regarded as its own.

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.

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

Cormorants 

Oystercatcher and Turnstone

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. 

Knot not so accessible today

A largely sunny dry day. A light SE wind

Near Naze

Malcolm 09:45

There were 1000 Knot on the rocks, but only three flagged birds could be seen. At least 1000 more were flying around.

Shag 2 juveniles were fishing. This is one of them searching under the wrack covered rocks. I presumed looking for Common Blennies

My presumption was correct. It caught one

Juvenile Shag and a Common Blenny 

Howard checked a little later. One Shag was still around 

.....but not for long

By this time all the Knot were in the air

Just a few of the c3000 Knot, they then flew off to the north

They settled on the groyne at Sunnyslopes with Redshank.
Unfortunately beyond flag spotting range

Male Red-breasted Merganser out from the groyne 

South shore - Janet

Wigeon on the saltmarsh 

Curlew on the saltmarsh 

It did some shouting as it flew off...

Red Nab at high water

Turnstones

Goldfinch 

Moorhen flying back to the Nature Park pond

Imperial Rd - Malcolm

Two Stonechats. This female was seen first, I knew immediately that it was the one regularly seen with the male

Female Stonechat 

Sure enough, she was soon joined by the male

Water Rail 1 calling

Kestrel 2

Heysham skear - Malcolm 14:00 15:30

I went down very early in the ebbing tide, partly hoping, in vein, that the Knot would still be on the groyne, but mainly as the light wasn't going to last long.

The Knot were feeding and a few flags were seen, then it felt like someone had turned the lights out and it wasn't possible to read any more flags.

Eider 6

Little Egret 4 - they were fishing at the pool edges as the water quickly drained from them. Somewhat surprisingly they were out performed by this Herring gull.

The gull has a Whitebait in its bill and a second is dropping back into 
the water. It didn't escape!

Shag at least 2 juveniles 

Cormorant and Shag

Pink-Footed goose 183 SE in two skeins this is the largest

Pink-Footed geese silhouetted against the setting sun

You can't really make anything out of the birds, but I find this clip quite therapeutic 

Pale-bellied Brent goose 4 flew north

Brent geese - Quite a day for goose silhouettes 

Quite a lot going on, but no wind blown stuff seen.

Mainly dry and sunny with just a few light showers. A fresh SW wind eased during the day.

Red Nab to Outfalls (Malcolm) 08:30

A walk along the sea wall to check the outfalls but there was nothing different on them.

Pale-Bellied Brent goose 53 arrived at Red Nab in two waves 28 and 25

Wigeon 180

Shelduck 3

North shore (Malcolm)

Heliport around 10:45 high water

Knot c2,000 several flags seen

A few Knot still with hints of summer plumage. The ones on top of the Heliport
wall were spooked each time a wagon passed.

Redshank and Curlew 

If you can keep your head when all about you are losing theirs.......

Half Moon Bay 13:00

Many of the Knot were now on the shore 

As were several Lapwings

The Brent geese were also here and still in two groups.

Still 25 in this close group. This clip then pans over the Knot.

But there at least 40 in this group to the north 

So, at least 65 Pale-bellied Brent geese around today.

Shag 1 flew south

Heysham Skear 14:00 - 15:30

Eider 4

Red-breasted Merganser pair

Red-breasted Merganser 

More Curlew than recently, at least 30

A similar number of Knot to those on the Heliport arrived to feed, but most of the flagged birds seen were different to those seen earlier. Although in both areas many birds remained out of sight.

Imperial Rd (Malcolm)

I checked twice.

10:00

Stonechat 1 female type. I wasn't convinced that it was the female regularly seen with the male. This one looked darker.

But, just possibly it had had a bath as it was sprucing itself up, providing nice views of its white wing patches.

When I returned at 13:30 the regular female was feeding with the male.

She does look a different bird to this morning's

Water Rail 2

Common Snipe 1

Kestrel 1

A quick morning circuit

The opposite to yesterday, the rain held off till lunchtime, then never really stopped. Even in the morning it was overcast and gloomy. A SE wind.

Just my stuff so far Malcolm

Red Nab 08:30 - it was barely light!

Pale-Bellied Brent goose 38 seen, there could easily have been others

Pale-bellied Brent geese

Shelduck 2

Wigeon 180 minimum

Little Egret 1

Grey Heron 1

Rock Pipit 1

Imperial Rd

No sign of the Stonechats 

Water Rail at least 2 squealing

Common Snipe 1

Kestrel 1

Middleton Nature Reserve main pond

Mute, Mallards, Coot and Moorhen as recent. No sign of Little Grebes

Tufted Duck 18

Gadwall 10

Near Naze and Heliport 

I called in on my way home 09:50

There were c1,600 Knot circling and shaping to land on the Near Naze rocks. Then the almost inevitable Peregrine arrived. The Peregrine goes through this flock near the top from left to right early in this clip. Presumably a successful attack, but the flock still left to the south.

Redshank and Oystercatcher on the heliport wall

Shag 2 juveniles, both arrived from the north

This was the first to arrive, it flew past the Naze and landed on the sea to the south.

By this time it was 10:00 and the Power Station was conducting its weekly test of the alarms. You might want to turn the volume down!

The second one arrived a couple of minutes later and landed directly on the rocks.

At least 4 foxes caught by my head torch near the Moss this evening - Janet