2026! Where did 2025 go?

Happy New Year

Overnight rain then a dry day. The west wind continued, drifting towards NW by "evening".

Heliport/Near Naze - Malcolm 08:40 - 09:00 high water

Initially there were just a few Oystercatchers on the Heliport wall....

.......more Oystercatchers and a few Knot on the Naze rocks 
The Knot centre picture has an orange flag

Oystercatcher, Curlew, Redshank and Lapwing also on the Naze rocks

The rising tide must have displaced more Oystercatcher and Knot from where
they had been roosting, by 09:00 there were 350 Knot on the Heliport and Naze
 rocks, two were flagged.

Knowlys Road - Pete Crooks

28 Pale-bellied Brent Geese on the relatively narrow strip on shoreline beyond the children's play area on the early ebbing tide

South shore - Pete Marsh - lunchtime 

flock of c30 black-tailed godwit flew past OE to the north then inland of the power stations climbing high 

Heysham Skear - Malcolm 12:00 - 13:30

Eider 14

Cormorant and Eider

Knot c2500 arrived throughout my visit, I should have stayed longer, but the cold was getting through to my bones! 

It can be very difficult checking the Knot for flags in some areas

But I eventually managed several, including both birds seen at the Naze this
morning. There were three new Icelandic birds, and one new bird each for a UK 
scheme and a Dutch scheme 

One of the Icelandic flagged birds 

Redshank 250

Redshank and Knot 

Other waders similar to recent

Gulls shrimping in the drain along the northern edge of the skear.
Not as many as there sometimes are, perhaps there isn't a huge number 
of shrimps, or perhaps the gulls just aren't as shrimp savvy as the waders

Imperial Rd 

Both male and female Stonechat showing - Pete Marsh

Also, Water Rail squealing - Shaun Coyle

Just out of the recording area Heaton marsh

No Russian White-Fronted geese could be seen at lunchtime, but 14 were seen late afternoon