Cycling to the patch this morning, it was a relatively quieter session and I am beginning to realise the regular frustration that I am bound to experience at the sheer level of disturbance burdoned upon this precious relic of green space. The waders feeding on the low tide must contend with endless dog-walkers and it seems that operators of both model aircraft and drones either feel their machines take priority over these birds seeking vital refuge in the fields at high tide or, more likely, play with their toys in ignorance. It truly seems that the only spaces not already razed by humans and free from their blundering indifference to nature are indeed nature reserves.
At low tide, I counted 29
Grey Plovers, 33
Ringed Plovers, 67
Turnstones, four
Sanderlings and 27
Oystercatchers foraging, as well as a
Little Egret. I postponed counting
Dunlin till high tide but this was probably a mistake as only 93 appeared and very few other waders braved the roost site. Gulls included five
Mediterranean, 110
Common and 35
Great Black-backed. Little was moving over or feeding on the calm sea, with seven
Common Scoters, a
Red-throated Diver, 10
Red-breasted Mergansers, a
Razorbill, 13
Great Crested Grebes and 22
Cormorants noted.
A
Treecreeper, a
Fieldfare, two
Great Spotted Woodpeckers, a
Green Woodpecker and a
Stock Dove provided patch ticks, the two
Stonechats lingered and other bits included a
Chiffchaff, seven
Skylarks, three
Meadow Pipits, 13
Goldcrests, two
Linnets, three
Song Thrushes, nine
Jays, 25
Blackbirds and 11
Pied Wagtails.
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| Dunlin |
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| Treecreeper |
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| ♀ Stonechat |
