A cloudless sunny start till late morning when heavy showers began. The sun returned for the last few hours of daylight. A NW light wind.
South shore
Malcolm 11:30 - 13:00. The morning sun and today's 8.3m tide were ideal for checking waders along the waterline. Unfortunately, by the time I reached the saltmarsh heavy rain had started. So I just went along the sea wall instead. Yesterday, during a basically wet day I managed a relatively dry walk along the sea wall. Today in what was supposedly a dry day, I got a soaking!
Linnet 150 on the saltmarsh
Greenfinch 8 around the saltmarsh
Reed Bunting 3 around the saltmarsh
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| Reed Bunting |
Shelduck 113 out from the foreshore
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| Shelduck filtering the mud |
Wigeon 54 ended up on Red Nab
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| One of three Little Egret |
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| The only passerine along the wall was this Pied Wagtail |
There were loads of Black-Headed gulls but mainly resting, not feeding.
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| Gulls along the south rail of No.2 outfall |
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| Gulls along the north rail of No.2 outfall |
There were also lots of gulls on the mud between the outfalls including 5 adult a 2nd calendar year and a 1st calendar year
Mediterranean gull |
| 2cy (top) and adult Mediterranean Gull |
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This green ringed adult is one of our regular veterans Ringed as a chick
in Germany 2012. It has been seen here pretty much every summer since |
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They were running out of space and another heavy shower was just starting.
Time to head off. |
Janet also checked Ocean Edge and was thwarted by the weather. At least the rain wetted mud provided a nice mirror effect
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| Oystercatcher |
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| Redshank |
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| Curlew |
I returned in the sunshine this afternoon (Malcolm) 15:30 - 17:00. But the tide was now ebbing and the onshore wind holding the water on the mud for 50m beyond where the waterline should actually be, so no chance of checking legs for colour rings. Shame, there were a lot of waders.
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| c5000 waders, mainly Knot. But the sun was behind them |
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These are along where the waterline should be, but I am stood in water here.
The only way to get a decent look at them was to wade out behind them |
I managed to get behind them but the flock split in two
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| These to the north in full sunlight |
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These on the south, but still well within the recording area.
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| 14 Bar-Tailed Godwit were even further out |
There were smaller waders higher up the shore so I left the Knot and Godwits in peace. Most of them were just sleeping anyway.
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| Knot nodding off |
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| 3 of 4 Grey Plover and 2 of 300 Dunlin |
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| Dunlin and Redshank |
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| This male Sparrowhawk is becoming a regular in Janet's garden |
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| Clearly not one of the two that have been ringed in the recording area this autumn |
