No surprises today

A dry overcast day with a light south wind.

Middleton Nature Reserve (MD)

Just a brief check of the two main ponds

Mute, Coot, Moorhen and Mallard unchanged. The immature mute are moulting, there are feathers everywhere.

Gadwall 6

Teal 6 - this male Teal reminds me of a pull along wooden duck my daughter had when she was little.

Pochard 1 male

Male Pochard and male Mallard

No Little Grebes seen or heard today.

Saltmarsh to Red Nab (MD)

I went onto the shore out from the saltmarsh. These neap tides do not cover the mud and visitors to Potts Corner were taking advantage by riding motorbikes and later a car on the mud. Not close enough to disturb birds in the recording area (although the noise pollution was an irritant!). But it did send lots of waders into the recording area. This is just a flavour, these are mainly Knot, with some Grey Plover.

I didn't try and count the Knot, but there were also at least:

Curlew 40

Bar-Tailed Godwit 150

Oystercatcher 100

Grey Plover 30

Dunlin 200

These neap tides do not rise very quickly, but it is so flat here the tide still covers the mud quickly. These are a few of the Knot and Oystercatcher keeping ahead of the rising tide with Bar-Tailed Godwit feeding behind.

Reed Bunting 3 on saltmarsh 

Rock Pipits 4 - 2 together on saltmarsh, plus 1 each foreshore and Red Nab

Two Rock Pipits amongst the saltmarsh flotsam 

Shelduck 60+

Wigeon 200+

Pale-bellied Brent goose 17 - including a white ringed bird, almost read today, but after this clip they moved behind the outer rocks, obscuring their legs (they look alert as a couple with their dog were getting close, but they turned back).

Angela checked the Nature Park

Great-Spotted Woodpecker 1 seen and it sounded like two different birds drumming

Mixed Tit flock lead by Long-Tailed Tits - still no Coal Tits

Bullfinch pair

Chaffinch 2

Goldfinch 6

Song Thrush 2

Blackbird 4