The Peregrine hiatus is over!

A fine sunny day with a light SE wind.

South shore (Malcolm)

I checked as the tide was covering the skear again this morning.

Pale-Bellied Brent goose 25 at least in the SE skear corner and following the freshwater runoff higher up the shore.

Some of the Brent in the skear corner looking back towards Heysham Head.
I don't think there is much, if any, weed growing here now, but it does collect
any broken weed washed in with the tide.

Pink-Footed goose - they must have taken a different flight line this morning as none were seen flying north, but 40 in four small skeins did fly east, seemingly from across the bay.

Pink-Footed geese flying east

The Knot were just starting to group along the skear edge, where they have been gathering in growing numbers all week. As I was walking out this morning I was thinking that it was odd that they hadn't been attacked by Peregrines so far this week. That was all about to change!

It wasn't until the first Peregrine attack lifted everything that I could get a reasonable estimate of numbers. At least 1,800 took flight.

Knot taking flight

Even the Brent got caught up in the panic

Peregrine Falcon looking red in the early morning sun

There were three attacks, at least two of them successful, before the Knot finally had enough and headed south. A few coded birds were seen including at least one new for the winter.

The Knot were finding small bivalve molluscs in the soft mud.
They swallow them whole and they are broken up by their gizzards

Oystercatcher 1,000

Curlew 25

Redshank 150

Turnstone 25

Ringed Plover 8

I returned in the fading light of evening, 800 Knot landed amongst the inner skear rocks almost as soon as they became exposed. But almost immediately they were again attacked by a Peregrine Falcon.

Peregrine flying off with its catch, while the remaining Knot scatter

The Knot regrouped and headed off to the north. At least three less there were this morning.

Eider 150

Eider

Just out of the recording area - Sunnyslopes (Malcolm)

When I had a quick look this morning I couldn't see the female type Stonechat. But another quick look this evening did find one. But this was a different bird, much darker than the other, although it was in the same area on the northern side.

A lady who was gardening close by came to ask what it was. She said there have been two around for a week or so. "One looks like a Robin and the other just acts like one". Apparently they take advantage of anything she disturbs when gardening, until chased off by her resident Robin. Sounds like they should be around a while.