New Arrivals
I headed for the Eden Estuary Centre yesterday, but with half a dozen others, I found that I was locked out. I set up outside, but a young lady made her way down the opposite river bank before heading across the rough grass area towards the "football posts". Needless to say, every bird in the area relocated to far, far away. I decided to do the same thing; heading off to Balgove bay.
I parked up at the golf car park and made the 20 minute walk out to the hide. Settling in, I was soon counting birds, with 160+ Black-Tailed Godwit being notable. Shelduck were also evident, and it was while making a count of these that I picked up on some very distant geese. I could just make out two or three Brents, but when they suddenly took to the air, the original two or three were joined by more. The small flock, eight in all, flew straight towards me, landing on the mud flats fairly close to the hide.
Over the next few hours, other birds seen were Osprey (2), Ruff (6), Pintail (2) and a Greenshank. Surprisingly, there were no Dunlin present, and very few Redshank. I thought I had found a Dunlin at one point, when I spotted a very distant bird with what looked like a black belly, but I soon worked out it was too big for Dunlin. It changed position slightly, and I was able to see that the black mark extended up into the breast. I kept an eye on it for a while as the incoming tide gradually pushed it closer. I was soon sure it was a plover, and although my initial thought was Golden, it was not till it took to the air, and I could see a lack of black in the armpit area, that I was convinced of my Golden ID.
Nice to see some new stuff coming through, especially the Brent Geese, which I have a real fondness for. :t: