Redstart and Osprey

A lone seawatch for an hour between 7:00 and 8:00 at the Point resulted in not much, in fact I think the Sandwich and Common Terns were just flying around in a large circle. A radio message from Jacob resulted in me heading to the trapping area as the ringers had caught a Redstart which I had not managed to see so far this autumn.

1CY Male Redstart

I then decided to wander up to the top of the Long Pits and back staying on the east side. A juvenile Osprey which is possibly the same bird that was seen on the 20th and also earlier this morning at Galloways was soaring low over the Long Pits before heading over the trapping area and gaining height flew NE out to sea and over Lade Bay.

Juvenile Osprey

I then moved on to the RSPB Reserve where there was a good collection of waders if you spent time checking the various muddy edges on distant islands. 11 Ringed Plovers, 1 Little Ringed Plover, 3 Dunlin, 3 Snipe, Black-tailed Godwit, 35 Golden Plovers, Wood Sandpiper, 4 Common Sandpipers, 6 Ruff and a Curlew.

There are still 3 Common Tern chicks in the colony out from Dennis's Hide, although 2 look like they are near fledging.

Golden Plovers

Ringed Plovers

Ringed Plovers

Juvenile male and female Ruff

This Great White Egret seems to have an odd resting posture!

Great White Egret

 SE 10 to 21mph, dry, 13C to 15C, 0% cloud cover.

With a run of south-easterlies you'd think we'd have at least one Yellow-browed warbler in the area somewhere but so far none have been found. I have been trying to locate one at ARC and the Pines. Still plenty of Chiffs and a few Blackcaps with 24 and 10 respectively. Meadow Pipits, Swallows and House Martins moving  all day east then south west across the peninsula. There was a Hobby at ARC, along with the Black-necked Grebe, seven Snipe and a couple of Pintail. Plenty of Shoveler with 534 on ARC and 510 on Burrowes, totalling 1,044. A single Shelduck was on Burrowes, the first I have seen in the area for a little while. Little Egret numbers seem to be increasing with at least 16 on Burrowes.

Despite the rising water levels on Burrowes, gulls, mostly Greater Black-backed were making use of the vegetated islands now they have been cut. Amongst the gulls were three 1st winter and two 2nd winter Caspian Gulls and after checking photos a 2w Yellow-legged Gull.

2w Yellow-legged Gull

 

2w Caspian Gull

Golden Plover