Saturday 23 February 2013

Sightings from the Coquet estuary and about

Having just joined the group this is a retrospective blog of recent activity.
After a quiet winter in Alnmouth Bay, on  Thursday 14th Feb there were 11 red-throated divers -one of the highest numbers I have seen in 5 winters. There is now regularly a small flock of purple sandpipers at Birling Carr rocks with 4 on the 14th.
Common  scoters have only been in small numbers this winter (compared with 1000 + in 2011) but again on the 14th there was a raft of 80 + birds off Bamburgh.
Last Sunday, out for a walk with family along Warkworth beach, we saw 180+ wigeon just off-shore. These birds will almost certainly have been disturbed in the Coquet estuary -their usual wintering area.
Walking through the Pond Meadow at Howick Hall on Monday 18th Feb I disturbed 10 grey herons that had been standing amongst the rushes. They rose and circled above the Scots Pines lining the pond. These pines are used for nesting.

No comments:

Post a Comment