Sunshine all day with a very light NW breeze.
South Shore (MD)
We are moving back to spring tides, this morning's high water at 8.6m is just low enough not to flush everything off Red Nab, at least not in today's calm conditions. I checked approaching high water.
Shelduck 33 out from the saltmarsh
Wigeon 180
Pale-bellied Brent goose 16 - same core group as the last set of tides with 8 first calendar year birds. They are all in this clip with, Curlew, Knot, Oystercatcher and at least a couple of Bar-Tailed Godwit.
These are two adult with three first calendar year (with the pale wing bars). A nice passing display from a Cormorant too.
Most of what remained of Red Nab was crammed with waders. Mainly Oystercatcher, and Knot, but also Redshank, Turnstone, and Bar-Tailed Godwit. Also a Little Egret and a Grey Heron.
Most of the Oystercatcher were on the west side. This clip begins on the Heron then pans out to show the extent of the Oystercatcher roost.
The other waders and the Brent were on the east side.
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| Knot coming in, you can make out 3 Brent geese on the water below them |
This Redshank is after invertebrates on the incoming tide.
Lapwing 30+ on the saltmarsh Reed Bunting 1 on the saltmarsh, you can hear it calling in this clip.
I didn't go along the wall, but a visiting birder advised that no Little gulls were feeding at that time.
These are the tides and conditions that I normally like to walk the tide in, as it comes up the shore. But at the moment sciatica makes that impractical. I looked out wistfully at the distant waders. Distant, but still well within the recording area.
Even so, it was still good to be out on such a lovely morning.
Middleton Nature Reserve (MD)
Just a quick look on my way home.
Wildfowl as yesterday except:
The 10 "tame" Mallard were back at the feeding station on the main pond (still 6 on the "no swimming" pond)
Teal 1 male
Little Grebe 2 - the elusive one was glimpsed on the main pond, but a second on the "no swimming" pond was showing well.
Showing well?.........it was showing off!
North shore
Howard managed to locate three colour flagged Knot from the 2,500 rooting on the Near Naze at high water. Unfortunately they were soon spooked by a Sparrowhawk and relocated to the rocks out from Heysham Head.
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| One of today's flagged Knot |
