27th October 2011

The predicted drop in wind had not come about by this morning however the early seawatch provided 2 Red Throated Divers, 20 Great Crested Grebe, 35 Gannet and a single Arctic Skua.
Two Purple Sandpipers where observed with the Turnstones on the flood and flocks of Knot and Dunlin moved throughout the afternoon, wader numbers where as follows: Oystercatcher 6000, Ringed Plover 20, Grey Plover 6, Knot 1800, Dunlin 800, Bar Tailed Godwit 10, Curlew 45, Turnstone 120 and Redshank 50. The Brent Goose flock provided easy counting off the West side and again totalled 45, Shelduck came into the estuary later and the count came to 38, a solitary Little Egret searched the rock pools by Middle.
Passerines included a Blackcap early morning (above), 13 Meadow Pipits, 7 Skylark, 50 Starling, 3 Blackbird, a single Pied Wagtail, 4 Chaffinch and 5 Goldfinches (right) followed by a late afternoon flock of 30.
Ringing: Blackcap 1, Chaffinch 1, Goldfinch 2, Blackbird 1. (CJW+JW,DGW,RTW,NLW,EKW) [935-45] photos CJW