Piltanton Burn 14/ix/23

 

Sunny spells, moderate westerly, low tide 18.33.

On arrival at the parking area mid-afternoon, it was immediately obvious from tracks in the sand that joy-riders had been at the site recently. They had crisscrossed the foreshore several times before their escapade came to an inglorious end in the middle of the tidal channel. For there was the vehicle, a Mitsubishi pick-up, abandoned mid-stream to leak its noxious fluids into the water. Whomever was to blame, juvenile delinquents high on drink and drugs or otherwise, they may have had a lengthy walk home during which to contemplate their folly.

With dog-walkers away to the east, I headed upstream first to see what was utilizing the freshly exposed riverine mudflats. A dozen Lapwing was the answer, along with some Curlew, Oystercatcher and Redshank, plus a pair of Little Egrets and a Grey Heron. A flock of loafing gulls included Common, Black-headed and a couple of young Herring. On the upper shore, there were a few Skylark lurking and a single Snipe flushed from under my feet with its sudden harsh cry. Mewing from above alerted me to a pair of Buzzards, thermalling in the welcome afternoon sunshine. Increased temperature brought out some Small White butterflies too, that were attracted to the lingering yellow blooms of Sea Radish, as well as to each other.

No sign of the locally-bred Stonechat family that had been active in this area last time: they seem to have moved on. No repeat of mass Swallow migration either with just a trickle moving through. Indeed, passerines generally were in short supply, apart from the usual mob of corvids in the cow field. On the beach, only a trio of young Pied Wagtails dined on the sand-fly swarms. The Greenfinch flock appeared to be gone and just a handful of Linnets remained.

Heading seawards, now that the dogs had taken their owners home, I scanned the extensive stony littoral exposed by the fallen tide, hoping for passage waders and not disappointed. Two Curlew-Sandpipers fed actively in the shallows, closely accompanied by a couple of Dunlin that provided a perfect comparison. The longer legs, neck and curved bill of the former were easy to see. More Dunlin were scattered about, along with just two Golden Plover and some Ringed Plover, although far fewer of the latter than on previous recent visits.

As I plodded further along the shingle, an unnoticed flock of Turnstone flushed before me and I spotted a different larger bird amongst them. A thin pale wing-bar and characteristic white V on the tail told me it was a Ruff and I was able to confirm the identity when it landed by the creek. Following a quick preen, it stuck its head under a wing, despite the freshly available feeding opportunities all around. Perhaps it was recovering after a long flight from the north. Also having a snooze were seven Red-breasted Mergansers, hauled out on the far sand bank, waiting maybe for the tide to turn and bring shoals of fish into the estuary, a feeding technique I have observed here before.

Hopes of further wader discoveries were dashed when a Sparrowhawk shot low over the dunes from the golf course and scattered everything. A Peregrine had been seen earlier too, although in the distance soaring above a nervous flock of Starlings. I took my cue and exited stage right.