Budle Bay/ Stag Rocks

Last week we had a run further up the coast to first Budle Bay  where there was a 100+ Teal several hundred Wigeon , masses  of  Redshank  a few Godwits , Dunlin & Knot with also a Greenshank , I think there has been a winter Greenshank here for the last few years , in the distance a very large flock of geese with Greylag , up to 100 White-fronted Geese, and about 30 or so Barnacles . The tide pushes across the flats fairly fast , I had spotted two Gulls with colour rings on , a Herring Gull with an orange ring from the scheme connected with the refuse tips , this flew off before I could read it , another a black headed Gull with a red ring not had many BHG so I tried to photo its colour ring  but the tide rose over it's leg before I could get a decent shot , pity as it looked interesting.

Pulled up at Stag Rocks and had a look for the Black Guillemot, MH & AC turned up and eventually Alan got on to it I got the briefest of views but it was not relocated , a few Slavonian Grebes  I noted up to 5, and 3 Red Necked grebe sightings from the area, up to 15 Long tailed Ducks , about 30 + Common Scoter but I only noted one Red throated Diver with a large movement of Gannets heading north up to 5 sightings of Harbour Porpoise of perhaps 3 individuals. Later as the tide began to recede 40+ Purple Sandpipers  dropped on the rocks . stopped at Monks House Pool only a couple of Pochard and a few Black headed Gulls , Seahouses  harbour only held 3 Goldeneye and 30 odd Gulls a few more Purple Sandpipers,but no Glaucous/Iceland.

 Black headed Gull with Colour ring but could not get the number

 A low flying helicopter but all the geese on alert before they all left with the incoming tide

 Slavonian Grebe moulting from Winter to Summer plumage

 Here with Common Scoter female

 With Common Scoter females and a Male on the right