First Woodcock of the year

Yesterday's heavy winds had eased by evening. Today there was just a light SW wind with plenty of sustained sunny periods.

South Shore

Pete and Jean checked at lunchtime:

Nothing of note followed the ferry in.

Shag 1 on wooden jetty

Pale-bellied Brent goose 2 arrived at Red Nab high from the north, very early in the tide. They had a drink and a wash then continued south.

(No reports received yet of the Brent on the north side or Red Nab nearer high water)

I walked out on the shore to check out the waders on the water line as the tide came in (MD)

When I got close to the water's edge there were

Knot c500

Bar-Tailed Godwit 700+ (701 counted but there would have been others and they were constantly moving off to the south as the tide came in.

Bar-Tailed Godwit 

This clip shows their location, just out from Red Nab. The steady procession of birds south are all Godwits.

These are the same birds but in more detail, note the number of Common Gulls with the Knot.

I didn't follow them south, but could see that they were joining much larger flocks, these would still have been inside the recording area.

Other waders:

Oystercatcher 200

Curlew 100

Lapwing 13 (on saltmarsh)

Heysham Nature Reserve 

Woodcock 1 flushed by work party as they were cutting gorse below old observation tower.

Just out of the recording area - Middleton Parish Hall

Glossy Ibis and Green Sandpiper still feeding in the horse paddock behind the Hall.