Very light winds early on from NNW - NNE, swung to WNW by late morning and pretty much stayed there for the rest of the day, freshening slight. Sunshine in the morning with very heavy clouds in the afternoon but rain just about held off.
Heysham Skear - low water 10:25 (MD)
We are now on neap tides and not much of the skear was exposed.
Eider 55
Red-breasted Merganser 4
Shag 1 - assumed 2nd calendar year - feeding on north side
Curlew 9
Whimbrel 8
Turnstone 5
Knot 1
The (mainly) Herring gulls were feeding on the seed mussels, but the sea being flat calm and clear, allowed them to collect while under water, presumably helping to wash some of the mud off the seed mussels. There were c250 in this group, not all in the clip, and there were two other similar sized feeding groups.
Red Nab - high water 16:10
Just a quick look
Wheatear 5 on the foreshore
Rock Pipit 1
Whimbrel 3 (very noisy)
Curlew 1
Dunlin c100 (counted 97) initially out of sight beyond the outer rocks, but a Peregrine lifted them all briefly allowing a count, before they again settled, mainly, out of sight.
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| Some of today's Dunlin on Red Nab |
There are loads of birds in the Nature park, regular visitors continued to leave seed out throughout the winter, and are still feeding them daily. This male Chaffinch was trying his best to out perform the other nearby birds (this call always makes me think of someone pushing a wheelbarrow with a squeaky wheel MD).
Kevin had a stroll along the south sea wall:
I took another slow walk along the sea wall again today and there were, slightly to my surprise, some more beetles. I've decided to call it the Beetle Wall!
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| 16-spot Ladybird |
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| Cytilus sericeus. A Pill beetle |
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| Male Linnet in scrub behind Red Nab |
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| Green Veined White in the Nature Park |
