Thursday, 29 October 2020

It rained!

The overnight wind had eased slightly and shifted to SSE, but it quickly shifted back to SW and freshened. Rain all day varying from torrential to extra torrential!

I think there was only me daft enough to venture out (MD)

Middleton Nature Reserve - no swimming pond
Very little in the morning, just:
Gadwall 2
Shoveller 3
More impressive mid afternoon:
Gadwall 12
Shoveller 3
Teal 4
Little grebe 3

South shore
Kingfisher on Red Nab towards high water
Red- breasted Merganser 2 - as above
Skylark 1 on saltmarsh 
Rock Pipit 1 near lighthouse 
Mediterranean gull 1 adult sheltering in the lee of No.2 outflow with the Black-Headed gulls.

It had rained all day, and throughout my afternoon walk along the south wall and back, but when I got back to the saltmarsh (16:10) it eased, then stopped. Within a few minutes everything on the saltmarsh lifted, including:
Lapwing c80
Common Snipe 10+
I eventually located the cause an "owl", by this time heading towards Potts Corner. It was likely to have been a Short-eared Owl, but unconfirmed. Presumably it had been resting close by waiting for a gap in the rain.

It wasn't a day for photography, my camera was stashed well away from the rain. But I did take this shot of the gulls roosting behind No.2 outflow, the same shelter allowing me some protection.
The Mediterranean gull is amongst these, and I think the resolution should just be good enough for it to be discernible.