Daily updates return as Government lock-down regulations ease a little from today. All reported sightings continue to follow guidance in respect of the Covid-19 crisis. The site remains open but the VC and hide are still closed.
Despite only a neap high tide (2.9 m at Exmouth Docks), this was moderately productive with 175 Oystercatcher, 87 Sanderling, 16 Dunlin, 13 Shelduck, a dozen Ringed Plover, eight Whimbrel, two Bar-tailed Godwit, two Turnstone and a Knot.
A 'Sanderbling' with a white flag indicated that it was ringed in Mauritania, but in missing two colour-rings its identify remains uncertain.
A presumed 'Greenland Dunlin' (Calidris alpina arctica) accompanied a small group of 'Southern Dunlin' (Calidris alpina schinzii) in The Bight, where at close quarters this individual was a particularly obvious candidate for this taxa in being peep-sized, overall greyer-toned, especially the head. Its black belly patch was more restricted and incomplete. And its buffier scapulars had much less chestnut than shown in those of its southern cousins. The total World population of this race is in the low ten of thousands, and only ones and twos are noted here on passage less than annually. The nominate race 'Scandinavian Dunlin' (Calidris a. alpina) appears in here and on other estuaries in Britain in vast numbers to over-winter and also on passage in smaller numbers with the other two regular races. The vernacular names used here are in limited use.
Offshore, 13 Sandwich Tern, nine Common Scoter, single figures of Gannet and Kittiwake, and a Great Northern Diver flew E. Three chunky, long-winged, more pronounced upright stance and with plumage details all characteristic of Greenland Wheatear strutted around Greenland Lake.
On the move overhead, 11 Swallow, three Sand Martin, two Swift, a House Martin and a Buzzard drifted over in the face of the light, but icy cold north-northeasterly.
No comments:
Post a Comment