Andrea Collins
Well-known member
I had a wander around one of the reserves on my local patch this morning. To be honest I wasn't really in the mood. It was a hot, muggy morning and this time of year is perhaps my least favourite but I needed to get out for some air.
The lagoons on the reserve were completely devoid of the wildfowl that make the winter months so interesting. There was a flock of waders, mostly Common Redshank, Ruddy Turnstones, Dunlin and a couple of Common Sandpipers. A flock of about twenty Linnets were picking their way through the seed heads of the thistles, and whilst this was all pleasant it didn't really inspire me much.
Then, walking back along the main track beside the saltmarsh, I spied a few small white birds diving into the water where the incoming tide was filling the creeks.
There were six Little Terns feeding there. A look through the scope showed four adults and two juveniles, this years youngsters. One of the juveniles had clearly got the hang of plunge diving although didn't appear to be having much success. The other could only manage a rather crude belly flop into the water.
Both juveniles eventually decided to perch on the mudflats beside the creeks and wait for the adults to bring them food, which they duly did. The adults appeared to be catching small crustaceans, perhaps shrimps stirred up by the incoming tide, which they delivered to the juveniles at regular intervals.
I spent some time watching them until the tide had covered much of the mudflats and the birds moved on elsewhere. Looking at my watch I realised I had spent over an hour watching these six birds. Nothing exceptional, no rarities, just an hour or so in the company of some lovely birds watching some interesting behaviour. I walked back to the car with a big grin stretching from ear to ear.
The lagoons on the reserve were completely devoid of the wildfowl that make the winter months so interesting. There was a flock of waders, mostly Common Redshank, Ruddy Turnstones, Dunlin and a couple of Common Sandpipers. A flock of about twenty Linnets were picking their way through the seed heads of the thistles, and whilst this was all pleasant it didn't really inspire me much.
Then, walking back along the main track beside the saltmarsh, I spied a few small white birds diving into the water where the incoming tide was filling the creeks.
There were six Little Terns feeding there. A look through the scope showed four adults and two juveniles, this years youngsters. One of the juveniles had clearly got the hang of plunge diving although didn't appear to be having much success. The other could only manage a rather crude belly flop into the water.
Both juveniles eventually decided to perch on the mudflats beside the creeks and wait for the adults to bring them food, which they duly did. The adults appeared to be catching small crustaceans, perhaps shrimps stirred up by the incoming tide, which they delivered to the juveniles at regular intervals.
I spent some time watching them until the tide had covered much of the mudflats and the birds moved on elsewhere. Looking at my watch I realised I had spent over an hour watching these six birds. Nothing exceptional, no rarities, just an hour or so in the company of some lovely birds watching some interesting behaviour. I walked back to the car with a big grin stretching from ear to ear.
