Piltanton Burn 1/ix/23

 

Cloudy, showers, light south-easterly, high tide 13.30.

I arrived about an hour after high tide. Luce Sands, south of the river, were almost completely inundated, which only happens on the highest of tides. As I made my way upriver to view the saltmarsh roost, my attention was diverted by a group of passerines flitting along the tops of the dune scrub through which I walked. It was a family of Stonechats with 3 or 4 juveniles, presumably the ones that bred by the entrance track in a gorse bush. Single Whitethroat and Sedge Warbler were also present, although showing only briefly before disappearing into tangled vegetation.

At the roost on the far side of the creek, a nice variety of waders were gathered with the gulls. Apart from numerous Curlews (110 the total visit count), I spotted a Whimbrel, two Greenshank, three Bar-tailed Godwits and at least four Redshank. One of the latter was engaged in a rather demented bathing technique that I have seen adopted by various waders and wildfowl. It would fly rapidly a short distance sideways and plunge into the water, flapping vigorously to wet its feathers, then repeat the process several times. Perhaps the manic darting back and forth makes it harder for predators. Speaking of which, I was working my way through the smaller waders, identifying a few Knot and Turnstone, when everything suddenly took to the air in alarm. A Peregrine swooped low along the edge of the main channel, banked sharply over the marsh towards a scattering of waders, but failed to strike and headed off to perch in a bare pine on the fringe of Torrs Warren. It probably waited with more patience than I possessed for everything to settle down and provide another hunting opportunity.  But the ebbing tide waits for no one and I could see the main area of stony foreshore was now freshly exposed, with prime feeding for those who like to rummage for invertebrates under the various seaweeds that flourish there.

So I headed seawards and found a loose flock of 60+ Golden Plover, almost invisible in their perfectly camouflaged golden-brown livery. At least 25 Turnstone were present too, although difficult to count as they seemed more interested in chasing each other about than feeding. Ringed Plover were plentiful as well, plus half a dozen Knot. A couple of juvenile Sanderling came to notice, their bright white chests contrasting sharply with black ‘shoulder’ patches. These were my first of the season. Another twenty Sanderling were resting on the sandflats beyond the creek, mostly winter plumage adults, tired perhaps by a long journey from high arctic breeding grounds. Dunlin were significant by their continuing absence, only a couple being seen. Scattered across the sands were more Ringed Plovers and I estimated a site minimum of 120. Several Grey Herons flew in to feed as I turned to leave.

All afternoon I had been accompanied by a constant twittering of Swallows without paying them much attention. Before departing, I made a conscious effort to enjoy the spectacle of visible migration. They seemed to arrive from the north, but it was unclear whether they then filtered down the Machars or the Rhins on either side of Luce Bay, perhaps both. In either case, when they reached the southern end of those peninsulas, they would have a choice: to head a long way east around the Solway Firth or cross the sea to the Isle of Man or the Cumbrian coast. Pied Wagtails had also been constant companions all along the shore, whistling and hopping about enthusiastically, perhaps as many as 30 or so, including many juveniles. Linnets, Greenfinches and a Wheatear joined them to pick flies and other insects from the rolls of seaweed cast upon the beach.

Comments

  1. Chris Baines15 September 2023 at 12:14

    Another great blog Nigel.My best bird at Piltanton a few years ago was a Little Stint.I would have thought Winter might be good for Snow Bunting and i believe one was seen last Winter.

    ReplyDelete

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