Monday, 3 February 2020

Brent movement on neap tides

Pale-bellied Brent (MD) Low water 12:00. High water 17:50. Tide height 7.2m.
11:00 There were c50 feeding amongst the rocks (position B on picture below) and just 3 on shallow water in corner of skeer (position C).
A walk on to skeer revealed that none were feeding in the previously favoured pool (just above and left of D), so I inspected it. There was little in the way of food remaining, just a few patches of closely cropped gut weed. It looks as if this pool was favoured for it's remoteness and has been stripped of available weed.
11:30 now 44 birds feeding in shallow corner (C) and none remaining on rocks (B).
A further 14 were feeding in the drain fed pool (top right of D). This pool is regularly brackish when it has been raining, this seems to be favoured by gut weed.
So a total of 58 - these should be showing well in front of play area (A) from 15:00 onwards today.

This picture was taken from the high point on path from Knowlsy Rd to the Childrens play ares.

A quick check at 15:45. The tide had reached point A and the geese were strung out in small groups from B to A, I didn't try to count them but certainly c50. 
On these neap tides, high water alone is not enough to flush them from this general area. Similar movement patterns should be repeated for the next two days, and possibly Thursday. By weekend, we are back to spring tides which are high enough to flush them from here, and hopefully on to Red Nab.