Monday, 16 December 2024

High Brent numbers, but an awful "count"

A fresh SW wind, overcast with a couple of short showers in the morning.

South shore (Malcolm)
Some days you get everything (well, most things) right. Other days you don't. Today, I didn't!
Pale-bellied Brent goose c90. - I walked along the south sea wall on the rising tide, specifically to watch any Brent geese flying from the north side, so that I could make an accurate count. I had reached  the lighthouse before they came past.

A flock of 37, I assumed that was it, so I headed for the waterfall. Looking back another flock was passing, it seemed to be twice the size of the first. I "dashed" back to the high point of the scrub on the roundhead, but by that time the flock was strung out and I just managed a shot of about half of them before they were lost from view.
It looks like the large second flock continued further south. As I was walking back, I could see some brent on Red Nab, but 37 flew south as I was walking back along the wall and none remained when I reached Red Nab.
The last of the brent leaving Red Nab. It was still quite early in the tide, long
before it reached Potts Corner, so presumably they were heading further south.
Although I've called them Pale-bellied Brent, all I can really say is that all the ones that I saw and photographed were pale-bellied (not my finest hour!)

Wigeon 282 - a nice precise count as they were waiting on the sea while the tide reached Red Nab.
Wigeon moving from the north to the south side of No.2 outfall
Eider 3 north

Redshank and Turnstone on No.1 outfall

Black-Headed gulls don't often get a mention. These two in the Harbour

First calendar year Cormorant in the Harbour

At the saltmarsh 
Linnet 16
Reed Bunting 3
Male Reed Bunting 


North shore (Malcolm)
I just checked the shore out from Whinnysty Lane in this "evening's" fading light. Hoping to do a better job of counting the brent. There were already c20 on the shore another 5 and 37 arrived from the south, but most headed off again some to the north and others back south.
Eider 121
Red-breasted Merganser 5

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