A very light east breeze accompanied by even lighter rain in the first half of the morning. Then just overcast.
Heysham Skear - low water 08:00 (MD)
East winds have the least affect on the sea on this side of the bay. Such a light one had no discernible affect and the sea was flat calm.
Great Crested Grebe 13
Red-breasted Merganser 6 - all female/immature
Eider 21 - mainly female/immature
Some of the Eider
Four of the mergansers  |
| Red-breasted Merganser |
Pink-Footed goose 85 south in two skeins, both at 09:25
Little Egret 10
Not so many waders today but the outer skear was exposed and many would be feeding there.
Oystercatcher 200
Curlew 100
Redshank 50
Turnstone 100
Knot 300
The tide was so flat it was creeping in around these Knot. One picks up a small mussel, but I think it discards it again. They didn't decide to fly till prompted by passing Oystercatchers.
Back to spring tides now and they come in very quickly, concentrating the shrimps and small fish and causing a brief feeding frenzy. This is a flavour of the activity, although the egret seem to have finished feeding.
Carrion Crow, there is always a presence on the skear, about 10 today. But more interesting were a high group of 9 that flew in over the skear and continued east.
