Trip reports

Shellness

Sunday, 11 November 2007

The popularity of the Shellness trip within the group led to a strong turnout, despite the stiff wind and occasional showers. We arrived on a rising tide, but the trip coincided with spring tides and the recent storm surge which meant that the beach was already well covered. Our first sightings of the day were the numerous turnstones on the beach. As we started our walk we had soon added redshank and sanderling to the day's list. Other birds were already passing in flight. Oystercatcher, dunlin, curlew, common gull, black headed gull and great black backed gull were spotted. A welcome sighting was a group of 7 snow buntings that were seen on the sea wall near to the ice-cream hut. We came across a group of ring plover on the beach as we approached the hamlet of Shellness, where we also found house sparrow and reed bunting in the hedgerow and a morehen in the ditch. Stone chats were also present along the route.
We continued onto the shell ness, being very wary of the rising sea water. We were rewarded with a sighting of two common scoter on the sea and a small number of brent geese next to the shore. 6 Bewick swans flew over head at the same time as a peregrine falcon put up a large flock of waders. The high tide roost had re-established as we reached the block house. A large flock of oystercatchers were present. Scanning through the birds we began to make out knot, black tailed godwit, ringed plover, dunlin, grey plover and red shank in the mix. A far view of a marsh harrier added to the day's tally. We decided that the tide was getting too high. Indeed the water was lapping over the footpath as we hurried along the salt marsh that connects the ness to the sea wall by the hamlets flood banks. A few minutes longer at the roost and we could have been forced to stay there for several hours!
Returning to the cars for lunch, we lingered by the few remaining stretches of sand where the sanderling were close to the sea wall offering superb viewing. Our leader, Janet, was determined to find a purple sandpiper that had been reported earlier. While the group tucked into sandwiches and crisps she successfully located the bird and called us all back to the sea wall to for this infrequent sighting. After lunch we travelled the short distance to the Harty Ferry Road raptor watch point. Here we were pleased to see a large flock of golden plover with a few lapwings in the field and a flock of corn buntings on the telegraph wire. Other birders present were admiring a distant raptor, which they were convinced was the rough legged buzzard that is known to be present in the area. Marsh harriers were active nearby, but a merlin gave the best views as it landed in the adjacent field, its plumage lit by the low afternoon sunshine. At one point it moved to a fence adjacent to a small shack whose roof was occupied by a pheasant and a number of red legged partridges who were surprisingly brave in close proximity to their guest. A kestrel, little egret, little grebe and a green sandpiper were also seen before the group began to disperse as the cold wind and falling temperatures began to bite.