The sounds of the skear

Almost still today, just the odd waft from a variable breeze. Overcast, but it just about stayed dry.

South shore - Janet

A walk along the sea wall.

Kittiwake 1 first calendar year feeding on No.1 outfall.

Wigeon coming in to land by No.2 outfall

Some of the cormorants in the harbour.

Heysham skear - Malcolm

I went down early in the ebbing tide again today.

Pale-bellied Brent goose 20 minimum. There were small parties feeding all over the inner skear, plus some in the rocks near the play area. There were almost certainly more that I didn't count.

Pale-bellied Brent goose coming in to land

This is one feeding on the skear, you can see that there are still plenty
of pockets of gutweed to be found here.

Eider 73 close in plus a raft of 30+ in the distance 

Eider drake

Eider with a Brent goose

Wigeon 3

Great Crested grebe 6

Great Crested Grebes

Little Egret 2

Oystercatcher 1,500

Curlew 15

Redshank 35

Knot 700

Turnstone 25

The very light breeze meant that there was little wind noise, so I took a few clips to try and capture the sounds of the skear. 

This first one sets the base level. The majority of the piping is from the Oystercatchers, the Knot calls are largely swamped out. This is the constant background noise on the skear, and yet I don't hear it! It's only if it ever stops (occasionally if there is a hint of danger) or something different calls, that I notice. 

These are newly arrived Knot taking a bath. The tide has just left the pools they are bathing in, but the pools are fed by a freshwater runoff and will already be brackish.

These are some of the Brent feeding in the SE skear corner. You can hear their contact calls (grunts) plus a couple of Carrion Crows calling.

These are some of the Eider, you can just about make out their Frankie Howard like calls above the Oystercatchers.