Cleethorpes sightings

Single wheatear on main walk through Cleethorpes saltmarsh late morning today.

Also three snipe.

On the outer beach, there two parties each of about 12 sanderling, plus c 50 curlew, 200+ oystercatcher and, surprisingly,  c 40 pinkfeet.

A linnet was briefly perched on the roof of the leisure centre.

At noon (three hours after high tide), there were 50-plus ringed plover on Central Beach mudflats opposite the Kingsway Hotel.  

 

Over the 1970sand 1980 s I used to see and record dozens of colour ringed sand which terns and then post them to various ringing centres ( well before the digital age ) all seen on ST nnr foreshore
I traced most of those recorded and all came from the Farne islands and Ythan estuary , as they had large breeding colonies and staff who ringed nestlings
In winter 1978/9 Ed Mackrill and I spent 3 months travelling in Southern Africa and when at Walvis bay in Namibia ( then part of republic of South Africa)
We recorded 4 colour ringed Sandwhich terns, all 4 were traced to the Farne islands .

Regards John

This little lady was up and down the area behind the boating lake this morning.

Didn't see any terns at high tide, mid-morning, but there was a mixed gathering of c 300 ringed plover, dunlin and sanderling on the outer beach at the point where the buck beck enters the sea.

Also in this area was a single wheatear, my first autumn record for the patch this year, plus a trickle of swallows overhead.  

A noisy microlite spent some while flying low over the saltmarsh and beach, but it didn't seem to perturb the birds, though it set off some 'ticking' among the robins on the adjacent foreshore nature reserve.

I haven't seen the long-staying beach peregrine for a few weeks and assume it has moved on.    

Mid morning, there were c.20 common terns on the beach near the leisure centre.

On outer beach at high tide, there were 12 cormorants, 300+ oystercatchers, 200+knot ( a few still red), c.50 curlew, two dunlin, seven sanderling, one grey plover (in breeding plumage), 10 bar-tailed godwit  and five turnstone.

The long-staying peregrine seems to have left.

On the dunes, a single sunflower has emerged.

On saltmarsh: c 50 linnets, five goldfinches, c 50 starlings, 1 redshank,  8 teal on the main pond and a few skylarks and meadow pipits plus, overhead, a dribble of swallows and one swift in a hurry. Didn't see any reed buntings.

On the whale's tail rock groyne yesterday, there were 47 resting turnstone.

Still some action along the Leisure centre beach front this morning.