A free day for me today so I was down Splash Point for first light hoping to make the most of the slight change in wind direction. With it still being a light wind it wasn't a surprise that it was still quiet, with ten Sandwich Terns being the highlight for me.
Totals between 05.50 - 07.20 are as follows:
Sandwich Tern - 10
Black-headed Gull - 70
Common Scoter - 17
Red-throated Diver - 5
Brent Geese - 57
Gannet - 4
Shoveler - 2
Red-breasted Merganser - 2
Shelduck - 2
I walked the first part of the headland but with no migrants about I gave up on the head and spent the rest of the morning walking the whole of the Cuckmere. I first tried the Lower Cuckmere where a mobile flock of seven islandica Black-tailed Godwits were holding briefly onto a Ruff, a species I've only seen on the patch twice before. The Godwits were later located north of the road and I could make out that one was colour-ringed. There weren't any Pipits about and so I walked the east side down to the scrape.
I soon came across a small group of Scandinavian Rock Pipits keeping very close company to one another. Along the river I came across three more and photos suspect more then six birds were involved. A couple were nicely advanced into spring plumage, but there was still the odd bird showing limited signs of the pinky flush to the breast and tertial moult. A Sand Martin flew up the valley which rounded the morning off in fine form.
Totals for the Cuckmere are:
Scandinavian Rock Pipit - minimum of 6
Sand Martin - 1
Shoveler - 21
Pintail - 3
Water Rail - 1
Black-tailed Godwit - 8 (7 being islandica)
Ruff - 1
Totals between 05.50 - 07.20 are as follows:
Sandwich Tern - 10
Black-headed Gull - 70
Common Scoter - 17
Red-throated Diver - 5
Brent Geese - 57
Gannet - 4
Shoveler - 2
Red-breasted Merganser - 2
Shelduck - 2
I walked the first part of the headland but with no migrants about I gave up on the head and spent the rest of the morning walking the whole of the Cuckmere. I first tried the Lower Cuckmere where a mobile flock of seven islandica Black-tailed Godwits were holding briefly onto a Ruff, a species I've only seen on the patch twice before. The Godwits were later located north of the road and I could make out that one was colour-ringed. There weren't any Pipits about and so I walked the east side down to the scrape.
I soon came across a small group of Scandinavian Rock Pipits keeping very close company to one another. Along the river I came across three more and photos suspect more then six birds were involved. A couple were nicely advanced into spring plumage, but there was still the odd bird showing limited signs of the pinky flush to the breast and tertial moult. A Sand Martin flew up the valley which rounded the morning off in fine form.
Totals for the Cuckmere are:
Scandinavian Rock Pipit - minimum of 6
Sand Martin - 1
Shoveler - 21
Pintail - 3
Water Rail - 1
Black-tailed Godwit - 8 (7 being islandica)
Ruff - 1
 |
| Scandinavian Rock Pipit (SRP) No. 1 |
 |
| SRP No. 2 |
 |
| SRP No. 3 |
 |
| SRPs No. 4 & 5 |
 |
| SRP No. 5 |
 |
Ruff over Lower Cuckmere
Now my third patch record, but only one
have I ever seen land here.
|
 |
Distant Black-tailed Godwits
The colour ringed bird had yellow above orange
on the left tibia, and yellow on the right tibia.
|
