A bit thin on the ground, gutweed not birds

A dry day with sunny spells. In theory it was warmer than of late, but it didn't feel so in an icy south wind.

Heysham skear - Malcolm 09:15 -10:15

I just couldn't get warm today, whether it was just the icy wind, or a touch of man flu I don't know, but this morning's walk felt like hard work!

Pale-bellied Brent goose 4

They had been feeding in the skear corner 

Then they waddled up the shore towards the rocks out from the play area. There is no shortage of gutweed and sea lettuce on this side.

Eider - just one female

Female Eider

Red-breasted Merganser at least 9, their heads bobbing in and out of view in the choppy sea.

Great Crested Grebe at least 4, ditto

Oystercatcher c1500

Curlew 8 leaving as I set out

Redshank c100

Knot 30

Turnstone 40

Oystercatcher and Dunlin. The nearest Oystercatcher with a small mussel

Turnstone 

Knot

Red Nab - Malcolm 14:45 - 15:30

Pale-bellied Brent goose 10 (8 + 2)

Some of the Brent geese

The eight left to the east

Shelduck 35

Wigeon c80

Female Wigeon

Male Wigeon

I commented a while ago that the gutweed on RedNab was not as lush as it has been in recent years. That was before the Brent and Wigeon began grazing on it. Grazing is probably not the right verb for what the Wigeon are doing here. Scraping, is probably nearer.

Little Egret 3

Rock Pipit 1

Black-Tailed Godwit 25 and counting 

When I got to Red Nab the tide had not exposed the mud between Red Nab and the foreshore. But there were already 2 Black-Tailed Godwit waiting.

The early arrival Godwits

When I returned to this area after checking Red Nab, the mud was just beginning to be exposed and many more Godwits were feeding.

And more were arriving all the time

They were feeding on small bivalves. Clearly there has been a bumper crop
here, but it is a finite resource. It will be interesting to see how long it takes
before dwindling returns make it unworthwhile for them to feed here.