A much more wader friendly day with low cloud and heavy drizzle this morning on a light W>4
increasing to W>5 late afternoon still with some light drizzle and low cloud but also some sunshine which quickly quietened things down.
The waders were loving this mornings wet conditions with Dunlin numbers up to at least 19 all feeding along the shoreline. Several of the Dunlin seemed to alternate between TMR and Fly Flatts keeping flying off over the Nab before returning some time later.
A Merlin powered through over the Dunlins but only made a half hearted attempt at them before disappearing over the moor and into the mist.
The 3 remaining Wheatear in the top field were joined today by , what I would say was a Greenland species, being a very bright plumaged bird with deep blue/grey upper parts with a deep orange throat fading off down the belly and flanks. It had extremely long legs and a larger, butch looking bird.
Its behavior was aggressive towards the other 3 Wheatear keeping a distance away from them and seeing them off if they approached. The white rump was narrower and less pronounce but reading up it is actually the black band across the tail which is broader.
Of course, with this species, you can never say 100% Greenland without going into counting primaries etc but to me this is as good as it gets.
Fly Flatts
19 Dunlin
7 Common Sandpiper
1 Ringed Plover
1 Snipe
2 Oystercatcher
1 Merlin
3 Wheatear
1 Greenland Wheatear
1 m Teal
6 Greylag + 6 Gosling
Around 30 Canada goslings
c 150 mixed Herring and LBB gulls.
Keep safe, BS