This Weeks Highlights

5th Oct

First day back after holidays and nothing to excite at Seasalter just 3 goldcrests, 38 chaffinches, 1 swallow and the only photo was of a magpie landing on a post. I always find it difficult to get anywhere near close to these birds but I liked the spread wings of this individual.

6th

A bit drizzly this morning but quite mild and the tide was out which was going to help with the wader list. Both godwits species were out on the mud, 26 black-tails and 72 bar-tails accompanied by c.750 dunlin and several grey plovers plus c.500 goldies just off the YC .....still no knot! From the outfall were 6 brents and 7 wigeon plus all the usual gulls and egrets and on the plots 2 cetti's, 1 blackcap, 2 stonechats, 1 green woodpecker and 3 skylarks.

7th

An uneventful visit to Grove.

8th

A trip to Swalecliffe to see the yellow-browed warbler proved fruitful with a supporting cast of grey wagtail, c.20 chiffs and blackcap etc.

Returned to Seasalter finding the plots virtually empty but found 3 greenfinches which seem to be becoming more frequent now.  At the Sportsman, I counted 205 in front of the chalets plus c.10 mipits, 1 chiff and 5 skylarks and as I was leaving a flock of 158 bar-tails, counted from my photograph! Also 1 common darter and a small white on the plots.

Meadow Pipits Plentiful

10th

A beautiful morning finding 27 egrets, 8 g.c.grebes, c.1000 starling, 4 stonechats, c.40 goldfinches, 2 cetti's, 1 snipe and 19 teal and later when the tide had come up 1 juv. gannet.

 Dunlin

 Teal

11th

The brent numbers had picked up considerably, c.3-4000 after another visit in the afternoon. During the morning there were flocks of c.100 coming in all the time during a seawatch.  Inland was quiet but a couple of redpolls made their presence known thanks to Geoff's ears plus a pheasant was new for the month. Coffee break on the bench was the most productive with red throated diver, grey wagtail, pomarine skua, gannet and 6 scoters! Back over the road a kingfisher kindly put in an appearance which finished of the morning. Another visit pm produced a wheatear near the YC plus a big flock of black-tailed godwits, lapwings and golden plover giving me a total of 60 sp.  Brents numbers had increased, maybe 4000 but after going through half of them I could not find any juveniles!