9th September 2013

 Weather:- SW force 1/2 early then NW 3/4 late morning with heavy rain showers.


Fairly quiet for the last few days with little to report, but brief visits before the tide this morning found a juvenile Black tern associating with the mixed tern flock (mostly Sandwich, about 30 Common and 1 or 2 Little) on the east hoyle at the flood tide. Black terns have been particularly scarce (totally absent?) in the local area this year. There seems to have been a new arrival of terns in the estuary as 1,000 Sandwich were estimated yesterday and today.

Greylag Geese (with 2 domestic)

A Sparrowhawk flew along the island chain mid-morning and a flock of 38 Greylags (plus a couple of domestic geese tagging on) came up the east side then landed around the south west side of the island before departing west towards Wales. The only small migrants were a single Willow Warbler and 2 Wheatears, and a small number of Robins which seemed to be new in. Shorebirds at low tide included 15 Bar-tailed Godwits, 16 Sanderling and 2 Little Egrets.
Ringed:- 1 Robin                           [ 554-31 ]

(DB,CJ et al )