Nigel's Nature

 There was another very high tide today for the January WeBS count following last night’s full moon. As in December, most waterbirds were either at the flooded saltmarsh on the far side of the main channel or in the nearside pasture field. No chance at all of anything much on the nearside shore with dogs running out of control and their owners shouting at them. Apart, that is, from several Pied Wagtails and Meadow Pipits who paid little heed to the anthropic disturbance, too busy chasing flies among heaps of seaweed on the upper beach. A quartet of Stonechats flitting about the dunes also seemed unfazed. I wonder if they are the same family party that bred here in the summer or maybe winter visitors from elsewhere. Shelduck were again the most numerous of the wildfowl, although down considerably from 204 last month to 136. Dabbling duck numbers were similar to last time: Mallard 13 and Wigeon 20, but no Teal spotted. Diving ducks were again represented by a couple of Goldeneye an...

 It was my first visit to this site for quite a while and well worth braving the bitterly cold breeze. The best bird appeared before I even reached the beach, perched on a fence-post along the entrance track. A female-type Merlin. I just had time to make out the brown upperparts and faint moustache before it took off, revealing a boldly barred tail and relatively short narrow wings. It shot low across the field causing panic among the grazing curlew and wigeon, even though they are much larger than the little falcon’s usual songbird prey. Maybe the raptor profile triggers an instinctive response regardless of size. The tide was not long past full, which explains the number of water-birds utilizing the adjacent pasture when I arrived. As water levels sank, waders began dropping in to feed on freshly exposed mud. Redshank were the most numerous with plenty of Curlew and Oystercatcher too. There were also a few Bar-tailed Godwits and some Dunlin. To the east where the shore is stoni...

 Sunny spells, light westerly, low tide 3.09pm Disturbance was the unwelcome theme of this visit. Upheavals to the beach were immediately obvious when I arrived. Judging by the wide deep tracks, someone had brought heavy machinery to take away a lot of the accumulated heaps of seaweed from the tideline. And in the process, they also uprooted pioneer plants, such as Sea Rocket and Common Orache that were beginning to colonize the sand, and disturbed the naturally stratified deposits beneath, doing untold damage to the whole foreshore ecosystem. While it may be laudable in principle to make use of fertilizer that is not derived from fossil fuels, any net gain is rather undermined if you trash the environment while you do it. To add insult to injury, some narrower tracks suggested that more joy-riding had also happened, although by motorbike this time instead of the 4x4 that is still stranded mid-channel like a metal hippo. Indeed the new tracks passed by that flooded wreck and cont...

 Rain clouds gathering from the east on a chilly breeze, brief glimpses of the sun. The tide was at its lowest ebb when I arrived at 2.40pm. I headed upstream first as no dog-walkers were visible in that direction. As usual, several Redshank tiptoed enthusiastically on the riverine mud as they pecked at food items, while a single diminutive Dunlin scampered about among them. More redshank were in the shallows, along with a couple of Greenshank and Little Egrets. Some Curlew used their longer legs and bills to hunt in deeper water, where a few Red-breasted Mergansers waited for the current to reverse and bring them some fish from the open sea. A small flock of starling rose from the strandline where heaps of decaying seaweed grow ever larger each time I visit. There were smaller birds with them, about 15 of which were Greenfinches. When three others alighted on a fence I could see they were Twite. This is a scarce but regular species along the Wigtownshire coast outside the bree...

 Sunny spells and showers, much cooler than recent days, medium north-westerly, low tide 16.56. On arrival at the beach mid-afternoon, I could see the amount of seaweed heaped on the foreshore had increased since last time and was attracting a variety of song-birds. Pied Wagtails and Meadow Pipits were not unexpected but a late Wheatear was a pleasant surprise, most of them having already departed for warmer climes. It seemed to associate loosely with the resident pair of Stonechats as they hunted insects along the edge of the dunes, whirring out from the marram to the nearest clumps of wrack. The Greenfinch flock that has been present since mid-August was still in evidence; I counted 26 of them today. With a dog-walker heading seaward, I went the other way to view the riverine muddy margins where apparently a Spotted Redshank had been seen recently. I failed to locate the spotshank, but was rewarded with a Grey Plover, the first I’ve seen here this autumn. Several Common Redsh...

Sunny spells, sharp showers, strong north-westerly, high tide 16.52. I headed seaward at first because a dog-walker had just returned from the upstream end of the beach and would have disturbed everything there. The rising tide worked to my advantage and drove a mixed flock of waders towards me. They landed on the stony fringe of the rapidly filling creek and I counted about 90 Turnstone as they began to feed in a frantic manner. Among them were seven Dunlin, five Golden Plover and a single Ruff, possibly the same one as last week. No sign of the Curlew-Sandpipers nor did I spot any Ringed Plover or Redshank, which was surprising. Curlew and Oystercatcher were present of course, although numbers of both appeared to be reduced, with counts of about 40 and 70 respectively. As usual on a rising tide, a few Cormorants and Mergansers swam up the creek, presumably following fish. Today they were joined by a Common Seal, which hauled itself out onto a sand-bank. I could clearly discern it...

  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 l...

  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 ...

  Mostly overcast, medium westerly, high tide 16.35. I arrived about an hour before high tide and noticed that the creek was almost devoid of birds near the car-park. No doubt there had been recent dog-walking and this suspicion was confirmed when a greyhound appeared. As I headed downstream where there seemed to be more avian activity, a dozen or so Greenfinch flew up from the tideline, presumably the remnants of last week’s flock. Linnets were also feeding along the upper shore, primarily among the developing saltmarsh hummocks; I counted 32. A single Rock Pipit was noted, a much scarcer species here away from its usual rocky haunts. Whimbrels were present again: one feeding along the edge of the creek as the water level rose and a second out at the sea-ward edge of Luce Sands where 30 or so Curlew stood among the advancing waves. Rounding the corner to view the coast east, there was a high-tide roost of 180 Oystercatchers on the nearest spit with a small flock of Turnstone f...

  Sunny spells and showers, light westerly, low tide 17.45. When I arrived at the parking area about 13.45, there were several other cars there already – dog walkers and a family with young kids. Too much disturbance, so I turned around and went elsewhere until later. It was shortly after 16.00 when I returned and this time I had the place to myself. With the tide reaching its lowest ebb, there was a lot of exposed foreshore. The first thing to catch my eye was a goodly number of Ringed Plovers scampering about, a mixture of juveniles and summer-plumaged adults. My highest count was 55 but there could easily have been quite a few more hidden amongst the hummocks of wrack, certainly an increase since my last visit. A dozen or so Dunlin were also there, mostly with breeding black on their bellies. The influx of 60 Golden Plover from last time were absent, apart from one single bird I spotted. A Whimbrel came to my attention when a Curlew started chasing it towards me along the mu...