Monday, 30 September 2024

Well......not even the ducks were impressed!

It rained all day!  Light east wind till after lunch then it switched to north.

Middleton Nature Reserve (Malcolm)
Just a quick check of the two main ponds.
The cygnet has rejoined the adults on the main pond.
No Mallard, no Gadwall and just 5 Tufted Duck
1 winter plumage Little Grebe
Coot 20
Moorhen 2

South shore (Malcolm)
A check from Red Nab to saltmarsh in the morning and a walk along the sea wall in the evening.
Shelduck 23
Wigeon 15 - on Red Nab this morning, resting on the mud between outfalls this evening.
Some of the Red Nab Wigeon

This evening's resting Wigeon

Rock Pipit 5. 3 together on the foreshore this morning, 2 along the sea wall this evening.
Wheatear 2
Wheatear in the rain

Linnet c60
Linnet shaking off the rain

Pied Wagtail 57 feeding on Ocean Edge grass this evening 
Chiffchaff 1 in the same small piece of scrub at the Red Nab end of the foreshore as the Sedge warbler was in the other week
The only waders feeding high up the shore were Redshank 175
Redshank having a rest on the foreshore 

Grey plover 2 with c 150 oystercatcher along the waterline
Snipe 2 - one this morning and one this evening flew high over the saltmarsh towards Middleton Nature Reserve 
Lapwing just 1 seen
Mediterranean gull 1 adult flew along the sea wall this evening. There were no gulls on the beach by the wooden jetty
Little Egret 4
Grey Heron 1
Kingfisher 1 this evening resting on the rocks at the side of No.2 outfall.

The Kingfisher is in the centre of this location shot

The Shelduck this evening were feeding where I photographed the tiny snails (see post 24/09/24). They will be feeding on them in this clip.

The weather is set to be fairer tomorrow