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Friday 29 January 2010

St Mary's ......Bright "n" Breezy

I was going to bin this but actually I think it just sums up Purple Sandpipers.



A much brighter day today but with it the cold ,cold wind, just finishing off what I had to do at home and about to get sorted for a couple hours out , it start to bleach down with snow and lying ,here we go again I thought. But it did not last long now even more determined to get out so I headed off ,started off at the head of the prom Water pipit briefly but heading along south, I walked along but it was always way ahead of me and with the tide coming in I went along the prom and up to the wetland which was full but had plenty Teal , a couple of Wigeon , Gadwall, numerous waders and Gulls , it was looking good . I had not brought the scope ,which was just as well the wind blasting across the water, going further along the prom towards the causeway large number of Black headed and in with them an Adult Med, and 12 or so Purple Sandpiper, but it was not till I got around fully to the causeway that the scale of the birds present could be fully appreciated ,easily a 1000 Black Headeds, with Herring Gulls and a few Common Gulls picking off the water and on the beach , more Purple Sandpipers, Knot ,Turnstones , Sanderling, Redshanks all massed tightly on the beach as the waves crashed ashore ,obviously providing a feast of some sort , what a fantastic sight , birding's not just about rare birds, to me its this sort of thing, just being at the right place at the right time ,without doubt the most birds I have ever seen at St Mary's Island , stacks of Lapwings & Golden Plover wheeling around and a few hundred waders over on the island .Blisteringly cold trying to get some shots my hands where numb and I could barely stand so I put the camera away and just watched ,eventually the cold got to me heading back along the prom to the south bay hundreds more Black Headeds picking off the surface and a single Barnacle Goose dropped onto the wetland . Fantastic few hours out for a change , I nearly let the snow put me off, but now I just can't wait to get back out.








4 comments:

Killy Birder said...

Now I wonder if I walked past you today? I was caught in a very heavy snow storm down at St Mary's this morning too. A great display of waders and gulls as you say. Good pic of the P Sandpiper btw.
I'm still warming up! Cheers

Northumbrian Birding said...

KB. I did not turn up till well after the snow as it just started while I was at home, by the time I got there the tide was quite high, hence the mass of birds on the shore compared with the south shore which was devoid of waders !!!
Brian

Birding about Northumberland said...

Lovely photo's and you must be mad venturing out in that weather. I'm just envious because I was shopping, not birding
Michelle

Northumbrian Birding said...

Thanks Michelle I should have included a photo of the masses but my lens was too large , to take in the scene.
Brian