now moved on.
1515 hrs in good conditions of 100 % light cloud cover with light E>3.
Yesterday I was buzzing with the Sanderling find then today dropped me back down to earth with a bang.
It went wrong from the start where I was going to head straight for the west bank to try relocate the Sanderling but on arrival 3 dogs were in the water , 2 in the favourite SW beach area and the other owner ran the length of the west bank with the dog following along the shoreline and in the edge of the water, not the best of starts.
After a good half hour hanging around the boat compound and counting the Canadas to pass the time the coast was clear to check the now, well disturbed, west banking. Surprisingly the Dunlin and Common Sandpipers were back on the cobbles all the way along but a walk right to the far NW corner failed to relocate yesterdays star attraction the Sanderling, which is now well gone although after the last one showed here 7/5/2011 another 5 were found here 2 weeks later 19/5/2011 by NCD so theres hope yet.
Shoreline conditions are now excellent and it will take a lot of heavy rain to lift the water back up over the exposed shore.
A sum up of todays birds were :-
183 Canadas including young
2 Barnacle geese
1pr Greylag and 6 young
3m 1f Mallard + 1 surviving duckling out of 14, no more sightings of little yellow duckling.
4 Curlew
14 LBB gull
6 Lapwing
10 Dunlin
14 ish Common Sandpiper
3m Reed Bunting
1 Snipe
2 Carrion Crow
Loadsa Meadow Pipits.
BS