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.
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| 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.
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| Wigeon moving from the north to the south side of No.2 outfall |
Eider 3 north
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| Redshank and Turnstone on No.1 outfall |
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| Black-Headed gulls don't often get a mention. These two in the Harbour |
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| First calendar year Cormorant in the Harbour |
At the saltmarsh
Linnet 16
Reed Bunting 3
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| 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
