Waders passing by

Extremely light NE breeze till mid morning then it freshened and shifted to the NW. mainly sunny.

Pete and Jean did an early check:

0730 on this am: 

55 Eider 

12 Great Crested Grebe

6 Red-breasted Merganser just north of Heysham head.  

c300 Black-Headed gull north/feeding by skear

35 2cy Knot 

22 Grey Plover off wooden jetty 

Best was drake Goosander north and single very distant Sandwich Tern out.

I went down to check the skear at low water (MD). Eider, Red-breasted Merganser and Great Crested grebe as above.

Curlew 2

Whimbrel 2

Bar-Tailed Godwit 43 - there were 6 feeding along the beach shoreline then 37 flew in and rested on the skear.

Some of the Bar-Tailed Godwit coming in

They just rested on the skear till moved on by the tide. Several in summer plumage. These are just some of them.

Bar-Tailed Godwit

At this point, the sea was flat calm, these were the last to leave the skear.

They then joined the birds feeding along the shoreline.

The only other waders were Oystercatcher, Redshank and Turnstone.

It was strange with the clear blue sky and the flat blue sea. There was no way of knowing where the sea ended and the sky started. These are a line of Eider. The line on the water in the foreground at the beginning of the clip is just droppings landing.

South shore (MD)

Just a quick check from the saltmarsh to Red Nab towards high water. No sign of the Brent goose today.

Something lifted, or perhaps it was just time to lift, c80 Curlew from the shore to the south of the saltmarsh. They didn't land again and just continued north.

Linnet 14

Wheatear 7 - there are 6 in this location clip.

Rock Pipit 2 - 1 on foreshore and a displaying male on Red Nab.

Janet saw this "small white" butterfly at Half Moon Bay. She is still without her camera so took this shot with here mobile. It probably is a Small White, with the bright light masking the wing markings. (MD)