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 6Teal 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
