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

In Between the Showers

Of the 3 Great White Egrets on ARC this afternoon, this one was getting too close to the well developed Avocet chicks.

Also on the RSPB Reserve, over 20 Common Sandpipers, Green and Wood Sandpipers. A few Whimbrel are also starting to appear on their return migration, this one on Burrowes Pit.

On ARC this drake Pochard has a beak tag which is so old that any remnant of an ID or colour has disappeared. We've recorded Pochard marked in this way before but have not been able to find any recent tagging operation to inform of the controls.