Sunday 23 August 2015

Raining Birds

 

Juvenile Wood Sandpiper - Maer Rocks - not quite a flock of 33 but magical all the same!
 
The heavy and persistent rain prevented me going out as early as usual, but I eventually made it down to Maer Rocks for about 0730, seeking what little shelter I could find beneath the raised beach huts. A juvenile Wood Sandpiper was stood, looking decidedly fed up, on the rocks along with 2 Common Sandpiper, 1 Whimbrel, 5 Turnstone, 4 Ringed Plover and a single Sanderling - a really nice little selection for the normally 'wader-less' rocks.
Offshore there were at least 6 Black Tern with small numbers of Common Tern and Sandwich Tern, as well as 7 Common Scoter.
Totals, following two checks of the estuary from the Sailing Club/Imperial and Mudbank, included 13 Black Tern (with Kev and Lee simultaneously watching 6 from the Warren), c60+ Common Tern, c100+ Sandwich Tern, 1 Mediterranean Gull, c120+ Redshank, 25+ Sanderling, c150+ Ringed plover, 7 Greenshank, 2 Knot, c50+ Bar-tailed Godwit, 3 Grey Plover, good numbers of Curlew, a few Whimbrel, 1 Common Sandpiper, 5 Wigeon and 4 Teal.
On Warren View Playing Fields, at the back of our house, there was a single Black-tailed Godwit and at least 3 Blackcap in surrounding scrub.
A quick check of the Orcombe 'Top Fields' in improving weather this afternoon, revealed at least 3 mobile Yellow Wagtail but not a lot else. 

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