First I will start with an apology, I have been like a kid in a sweet shop the last two days, where ever I turned was a different bird and I am new to this so keep asking what, where and why. Tomorrow back to work so this is my last long winded post for a while so I hope you are not yawning by the end of it! Thanks:
I was going to go to see if I could take another picture of my lesser/great scaup, John kindly attached references for me. Of to the bank I went to get some money for my trip, 15 mins walk got there cash point out of order. In my tantrum I climbed down onto the beach by the airport and decided to try and walk around the headland back home....very low tide or otherwise cannot be down. Skidded down, heard racket turned around and there a few feet from the road was:
Instant cheer up, looked around me and was in paradise, the sky was deep blue, the wind was calm the sand was beautiful, there was gulls, oyster catchers etc. Started to walk down by the water line where
herring gulls and common gulls were sunning themselves and came across a flock of what I think were
Purple Sandpipers but I have only seen 1 on its own before.....one of 50ish photos...
I worked my way around little heavenly coves not normally seen from the road and only approachable at very low tide. I then saw in the bay 2
Northern Divers (kindly identified for me earlier) I spent 10 minutes trying to take a clear shot, getting wetting and wetter as I waded out too far for my boots! Then right in front of me popped up this...which startled me so much I slipped in a tidal pool up too my knees:
Got home soaking and changed, had some lunch and called a cab and went down to Coot Loch....where I did get a blurry picture of
two Scaup but from what I could see no bump on head (need to find the man who is posting Lesser Scaup on website)........the Loch was now full of
Wigeons as well as
coots, teals and
tufted ducks,
mallard and saw one
moor hen! I did get some photos to id these ducks but unless you are in a wet suit there is just noway closer, the ground is so boggy you can't even get to the edge of the loch and the birds are in the middle.
Walked down to the beach for the 4 mile walk home, by this time wind up and cold and getting cloudy. On the beach there were flocks of these wee sanderlings:
Mixed in with these were flocks of
gulls, turnstones and oyster catchers......the gulls flew and one stayed behind swooping down, I thought it was a black headed gull but looking at these couple of pictures there is no black on the wings...could it be a
Little Gull, quite rare up here? On the wing so not a brillant couple of shots!
And the last picture I couldn't resist, climbed back up to the road for the last leg of my sunday Outings and I saw two
Shelducks trying to go for the 3 shelduck ornament pose:
Looks like there should have been a third in the middle....engine failure?
Last few minutes of my walk, spotted a field of
Golden Plover with a few
Lapwings and a
Rock Dove for luck!
What a day, beats shopping in Marks and Spencer's which is what I would have been doing last year on a Sunday.
Hope not too long winded and if anyone can confirm the gull and the sandpiper would be most grateful.
Debs