I've not been out much lately, little people to look after plus the weather has made it unpalatable but I managed a few short trips down to Seasalter where conditions didn't encourage me to get out of the car. The mudflats looked quite empty except for a large flock of c.3000 knot, the ditch at the pumping station held the usual mallard, gadwall and teal, the fields were awash and looked quiet.
The fields along Seasalter Lane were all flooded like this
However, the brighter day on Sunday encouraged me to go out and see some birds and after hearing about the 40 snow buntings at Foreness I headed east. Upon arrival I luckily met Barry Hunt who told me where to look for the SBs. Easily missed unless you looked up on the side of the cliffes, most strange, never seen them feed like this before.
Lots of dog walkers and kids about but fortunately they didn't phase the flock much although they periodically flew from the sewage pumping station back towards the Botany Bay Road end. Walking along the dunes below the cliffes was hard work which made me think back 30 years ago when they were not there!
I left here mid morning and called in at Hampton Pier on the way home where Andy Hills, Tim Gutsell and Steve Ashton had been busy photographing purple sandpipers. The tide had come in to far to crawl out on the rocks so I just managed a few shots from the side of the pier.
Whilst there, a couple of oystercatchers posed out on the rocks, feeding on the mussels plus a few gulls were wheeling about but no sign of the Med. gull.
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