Monday 19th September 2016

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High tide delights...winter on the way?


This morning was one of the highest spring tides at 9.1m, and it was at a sensible time around 08:30, so a lie in!.
The high tide almost up to the fore dunes, in the distance , (over the white water)
there were Gannets, Arctic Skua, GBB Gulls, herring Gulls, and Black-headed Gulls feeding

I was on site by 07:45hrs and spent a pleasant 2 hours birding, without seeing a soul.
middle marsh, just after the top of the tide

I did manage 42 species of birds, with the highlights being, Whinchat, Arctic Skua, Wigeon, Teal, and the first returning Brent Geese, although they don't usually use  the marsh they do fly by, today they were resting and preening on the top of the marsh

With the marsh flooding I went to the beach at the eastern end of the reserve, but not quite to the boundary so a lot of roosting waders and gulls etc were out of sight, until they got moved by the incoming tide.

A flock of around 130 Sandwich Terns, was a surprise, but more surprising was that when they split up 51 of them went onto the flooded marsh and began feeding as there were eight Little Egrets and four Grey Herons also feeding I guess that a lot of fish fry had been swept in.

The reserve never fails to amaze with the variety, if I'd tried harder the list could have been higher.

I don't think I've posted a map, so courtesy of Google Maps, here's one, the yellow line is the boundary of the reserve, the SSSI is much more extensive




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