Sunday 29 September 2013

Sunday 29th September 2013

In fairer conditions, birders persisted but bird interest not so much.  Despite a report going out, there was no sign of the Black Brant on site amongst 127 Brent Geese.  In the estuary and The Bight, 2 Peregrine and 2 Sparrowhawk each briefly attended the high tide period, when 1250+ Oystercatcher, 110 Ringed Plover, 7 Grey Plover, 3 Knot, a Ruff, four juv Curlew Sandpiper, 350+ Dunlin, 17 Sanderling, a Snipe, 30 Bar-tailed Godwit, 3 Black-tailed Godwit and hundreds of Curlew were present.  The resident Slavonian Grebe, 5 Mediterranean Gull, 73 Teal but no Garganey, and a flock of c230 Canada Geese containing a Bar-headed Goose were also in the estuary.

Only brunt stubbornness managed to produce 2 Arctic Skua, an Arctic Tern and a Common Tern at sea.  Overhead, 243 Swallow and 12 House Martin flew mostly NE; also c.30 Meadow Pipit and 3 Grey Wagtail over.  A flock of 5 Pintail and a Shoveler flew in off early am with a Short-eared Owl late afternoon.  The bushes, and dunes were given a thorough search, which even included counting the tits (23 Blue, 11 Great and 17 Long-tailed !), and for all the effort this revealed a Whinchat on Warren Point, 1 Wheatear, 12 Blackcap, 2 Whitethroat, 12 Chiffchaff, 2 Goldcrest and 3 Reed Bunting.

Wildlife news: a Vestal, at least one Rush Veneer and a few Red Admiral alluded at some lepidoptera migration.  A Grey Seal nosed out from the waters of the estuary.

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