Wednesday 30 November 2011

Our first low tide for a goodly while


Our first early morning low tide look over the wall gave us 75 Oystercatchers, at least 20 very mobile Sanderlings – how many exactly there were we’re not sure as groups kept flying about all over then running round like mad things, there was at least one Dunlin with them. 21 Redshanks were all that we could find today.
Huge number of gulls fed at the waters edge as the tide stirred up the shellfish wreck from yesterday’s storm. There was a large number of starfish washed up too.
At lunchtime the tide was at the base of the seawall and the beach was fully covered. The recent string of  500-odd Common Scoters was still bobbing about on the waves in similar numbers. Almost all of those in flight close in where moving from north to south whereas further out it was about 75% moving north to 25% south.
More distant gulls were represented by a few Common Gulls and a Lesser Black Back, all moving south. No Cormorants were seen today and where are the Great Crested Grebes and Red Throated Divers?
After lunch a punter came in showing a pic of a dead Harbour Porpoise he'd seen further down the beach way beyond our southern boundary. With a bit of 'luck' the carcass will be washed up on our stretch tomorrow morning after the tides and we can get out and collect it for a post mortem as, for a change, from the photo it didn't seem to be in too bad a nick.
No pic today as the sea wasn't quite as dramatic as yesterday although up to and including the weekend the wind is set to come back with gusto with gusts to 50mph again.
We'll leave you with a nice sunset from a while ago.
Where to next? More seabirds please, or at least more variety of seabirds please - a late Sabine's Gull wouldn't go amiss, nor would one of those, or 'the', Hilbre Island Little Auks.
In the meantime let us know what's skittering around the water's edge in your outback.

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