Home › Forums › Bird & Insect Sightings › LDBWS field meeting at Sunderland Point, Middleton Sands yesterday.

Viewing 4 posts - 1 through 4 (of 4 total)
  • Author
    Posts
  • Dan Haywood
    Participant
      October 10, 2021 at 8:26 pm
      Post count: 537
      #4118

      Nineteen of us had a lovely get together yesterday 9 October.

      Movements from 0830 included:

      Pink-footed Goose 490 S
      Starling 100 S
      Skylark 65 SE
      Greenfinch 45 SE (most unexpected)
      Meadow Pipit 35 but messy!
      Alba wag 16 SE
      Chaffinch 8 S
      Linnet 8 SE
      Grey Wagtail 3 SE
      Swallow 2 SE
      Song Thrush 2 S
      Rock Pipit 1 E

      Jay 1 N from point

      Golden Plover: 1000 flew W over The Lane in about six flocks in the 90 minutes prior to the spring tide, presumably having been displaced from the Glasson / Colloway S area. We assumed we’d see at least some of them again in the Middleton Sands / West Shore roost but I only noticed a few at high tide– leaving me wonder where they eventually roosted– Bank End? Inland at Thurnham? Further afield?

      Mediterranean Gull 1 S on incoming tide.

      Rough wader counts of Middleton Sands roost:

      Knot 4500
      Oystercatcher 1500
      Dunlin 950 (c40 still in breeding plumage)
      Bar-tailed Godwit 800
      Curlew 400
      Grey Plover 270 with luscious black armpits.
      Ringed Plover 200
      NC (sorry!): lesser (double / single figures) numbers of Redshank, Turnstone, Golden Plover, Black-tailed Godwit, Lapwing and Snipe also Wigeon, Shelduck, Teal, Cormorant and c8 Great Black-backed Gull.

      Passerines on the deck were in relatively short supply but included:

      Linnet 45
      Robin 30
      Goldfinch 28
      Tree Sparrow 22
      Stock Dove 18
      Pied Wagtail 8
      Greenfinch 4
      Chiffchaff 2
      Kestrel 2
      Sparrowhawk 1
      Blackcap 1
      Goldcrest 1
      Mistle Thrush 1
      Rock Pipit 1
      Raven 1
      Wheatear 1 (thanks Bert!)

      Long-tailed Tit: we kept seeing a flock of 18 with serious zugunruhe, often towering up to twenty metres in the air contemplating their next move as they were running out of hedgerow and surrounded by salt water.

      Cheers to all for taking part.

      Sas1uk
      Participant
        October 13, 2021 at 5:19 am
        Post count: 4
        #4124

        I posted this in the wrong place….#Luddite!

        To all those who attended the meeting at Sunderland Point yesterday.

        My first Birdy Meeting and I felt most welcome and able to ask the simplest of questions.
        I was quite reluctant to come on my own, but so glad I did.

        Dan’s expertise and local knowledge was greatly appreciated – a smashing group.

        Having read the count above though, I’m absolutely GUTTED to have missed the “Grey Plover with luscious black armpits”…..😉🤣

        Thanks
        Steph
        Ps Sue….I’m still coveting your house……

        jeffbutcher
        Participant
          October 13, 2021 at 12:02 pm
          Post count: 124
          #4126

          Congratulations to Dan and others of the Committee for bringing this breath of life back into the Society. Well done.

          Jeff Butcher

          Steve Graham
          Participant
            October 13, 2021 at 10:54 pm
            Post count: 112
            #4131

            I would just like to echo Jeff’s comments.

            Despite not being able to make many of these outings,life still pretty chaotic at the moment. Hence my pausity in sighting reports recently! They have been very well received and are drawing new people and hopefully members into the group.

            Thanks to Dan and the rest of the Committee for no doubt re-igniting interest for seasoned birders and encouraging beginners on the quality and variety of local birding available.

            Well done.

            Steve

          • Author
            Posts
          Viewing 4 posts - 1 through 4 (of 4 total)
          • You must be logged in to reply to this topic.