Much milder today. SSE wind and occasional sunshine.
On the 4th January Pete identified a lamppost which a Mediterranean Gull routinely uses as a vantage point. It is the third lamppost on the east side of Heysham Road, just north of the traffic light junction with Oxcliffe Road. I usually drive past this spot at least once a day, and so far had failed to see it. Today I passed twice, 08:00 and 13:30 and it was there both times (MD)
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| Adult Mediterranean gull |
South Shore
Goldcrest 1 feeding with small tit flock at the southern end of the dog walk track.
Grey Plover 2
Common snipe 25
Rock Pipit 2, one on saltmarsh and one on Red Nab
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| Kevin took this nice shot of a Little Egret on Red Nab. Looking splendid in its breeding plumage |
These Black-Headed gulls were paddling to draw out invertebrates, on the mud just out from the saltmarsh. Not worms in this case, but almost certainly small shrimps. Shrimps will shuffle themselves just below the mud surface if stranded, and this is a very flat section of mud, which drains very quickly on these spring tides. If not eaten, the shrimps will easily survive till the next tide.
They seem to be getting a few, and they are not keeping bad time to the beat coming from behind me, see below.
On 29th January I posted images of a landslip on the southern boundary of Ocean Edge. Today this mechanical digger was consolidating all the rubble out from the cliffs and using it to shore them up.
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| The block that slipped down is just to the left of the digger. |