Gutweed action and some old Knot shots.....what could be better!

The warm sunny weather continues. A NE to NW breeze.

Heysham skear (Malcolm) 09:00 - 11:00

Low water was at 10:00.

Eider 23 - it would seem that only one eligible female remains.

Great Crested Grebe 1

Grey Heron 1

Little Egret 6

Swallow 1

Very few waders today

Oystercatcher 1,000

Curlew 1 

It was strange not hearing any Whimbrel today, they have been an almost constant background noise over the last few weeks.

Knot 1 in non breeding plumage

Ringed Plover 3 (2 + 1)

Gulls 1,200 mainly Herring, but there was a 2nd calendar year Kittiwake resting amongst them.

Kittiwake top centre

The majority of the gulls were on the water beyond the skear, but I did see two ringed birds, one was new for here.

I was a bit puzzled yesterday as to why the gulls feeding in the shallow water were quite so frantic, after all a mussel isn't going to try and dodge. Is it? So I had a look at the area where they were feeding yesterday.

The latest seed mussels are attaching to the gutweed. The dark specks are seed
mussels, presumably most of the crop already harvested by the gulls.

The gutweed out here is up to 2m long now, and as it sways in the ebbing tide (and in the flood tide of course), the seed mussels sway with it. So, the mussels were dodging after all. The water was deeper and moving much more quickly here when I took the clip of the gulls feeding yesterday.

These are some of Howard's Knot shots from earlier this year. I have been saving them for a rainy day, but I doubt there will be much rain before the Knot have completely left us. Knot here live in permanent risk of death from raptor attacks, but their day to day life also is far from trauma free!

Oystercatcher regularly unceremoniously move Knot out of their way.
So much so, that the neighbouring Knot don't take any notice.

This is the second time that Howard has photographed a cockle firmly clamped
onto a Knot's foot. This will really hurt, in this case it has drawn blood. The Knot
has stood on the cockle while it was partly opened, they immediately clamp shut.
It will not release its hold until it feels safely underwater again. Presumably a 
regular hazard in the life of a Knot.