Overnight temperature didn't get below 2C and the day temperature little higher. The ground/mud is stil frozen and patches of surface ice remain. A fresh SE wind with showers, initially snow, but quickly turning to rain.
Warm Atlantic air is set to increase temperatures significantly overnight and tomorrow, yesterday was also the lowest tide for a while, we now move quickly to spring tides.
South Shore (MD)
Not a lot really
Shelduck and Wigeon still high numbers, but not as many as yesterday
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| Shelduck |
Grey Plover 3 - one along sea wall, one out from the foreshore and one on Ocean Edge Grass
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| Grey Plover |
Dunlin 23 out from the foreshore plus some on the grass
Ringed Plover 7 - there were five feeding on Ocean Edge grass, the ground was still frozen, but the covering of ice was gone. They must have been finding invertebrates trapped by the ice. Also in this (shaky) clip, Redshank and Grey Plover.
Black-Tailed Godwit - still one feeding in the, now ice free, creek just out from the slipway
The only passerine seen around the saltmarsh was a single Blackbird.
Middleton Nature Reserve
The Mute managed to keep a small ice free area open throughout the cold spell. Both adults and 5 immature birds survived, and provided space for 6 Mallard and 2 Moorhen.
I checked the gulls on the ice several times over the frozen period but no ringed birds seen.
There is an "ice free" head of water on top of the completely frozen "no swimming" pond. It is c25cm deep, so plenty of water, but no wildfowl as all the potential food is still trapped below the ice.
Hopefully something different tomorrow, but heavy rain is likely to hamper things.
