Scoters hang around

A fresh SW wind, sunny spells, there were showers around, but somehow we managed to stay dry.

South shore (Malcolm)

I just exercised my daughter's dog along the sea wall this morning, it's nice being able to go along the wall again..

Not a lot to see today though.

Oystercatchers and a couple of Black-Headed gulls tuned up as the beach
by the wooden jetty became exposed. The Sandmason worm tubes were 
showing and the birds were clearly expecting to catch some

Wigeon, Oystercatcher and a Cormorant between the outfalls

Very few gulls were feeding on the outfalls but it was approaching low water.

Peregrine Falcon 1 - it was hanging on the wind as it was lifted vertically by the foreshore rocks. I've seen them hunt like this here before when the wind is strong from the SW. they hang like a Kestrel looking for waders on the shore below. There were no waders today and it quickly moved on.

Peregrine hanging on the updraft (and Jasper)

One of several showers that passed close by today

One of at least five Harlequin Ladybirds on the fence by the 
entrance to Ocean Edge caravan park

Heysham skear - low water 13:45 (Malcolm)

Just a very quick check at low water, no Brent geese, Merganser or Eider seen.

Common Scoter 6 female/immature were out from the inner skear. The rougher sea made them even more difficult to spot.

Common Scoter

Although, amazingly, I managed a better clip of them today. This just happened to be the only time that I saw them for more than a couple of seconds.

There were a lot of waves breaking and the SW wind was blowing the 
spume ashore. Very little mud on the skear so the spume remains white.

The waders were pretty much as yesterday, but no Knot. This Turnstone is finding some remnants on a mussel shell. Probably the remains of an earlier Oystercatcher meal.