Trip reports

Shellness day trip.

Sunday, 3 February 2008

The wind was extremely strong today. We all had to wrap up with extra layers and pull up hoods over woolly hats. However the extra effort was rewarded by a fine selection of birds. The neap tide was in as we set off from the car park; turnstone, redshank, ringed plover and sanderling were active along the waters edge. As we progressed further a purple sandpiper was spotted on the side of a groyne. Inland there were large flocks of lapwing and golden plover. We also found knot, reed bunting and house sparrow. A large flock of brent geese were in the shallows and on the beach. As we continued to battle through the wind we arrived at the block house where we added dunlin and a pair of red breasted merganser to our list. A large number of oyster catchers were still at the roost site as we turned for the return journey to that car park. On the way we added meadow pipit, little egret, black tailed godwit and bar tailed godwit. A great crested grebe was spotted on the sea, as well as black headed, common, herring and greater black backed gull. After lunch we continued to the Harty Ferry Road and the raptor watch point. A ring tailed hen harrier was an exciting find as we drove to the watch point. In the crop fields a large group of mute swans hid a small number of bewick's swans mixed in. A merlin and a peregrine falcon were seen from the watch point, which also gave us green sandpiper and kingfisher. The usual marsh harrier, red legged partridge and pheasants were on show, along with lesser black backed gull and lapwing flocks.