I paid a visit to Reculver this afternoon. It was very cold with a brisk north easterly wind. As I felt pretty rough I aimed to only go as far as the green bank today if I could.
The sea was very quiet. There were Herring and Black-headed Gulls batting around together with the odd Great Black-backed Gull. I was pleased to catch up with 5 Gannets (57) east and 4 Sanderling (58) west. There did not appear to be any divers or grebes on the water.
2 Mute Swan were in one of the dykes on the oyster farm and several Redshank were dotted around on the banks of the various dykes. I kept my eyes open for a Short-eared Owl but did not have any luck.
 |
| Mute Swans |
A little further on I was pleased to see a couple of Stonechat (59). I was really surprised yesterday when I did not manage to catch up with any, as usually I see them every time I come. There was a male and female and I enjoyed watching them. They appeared to be catching insects from the muddy areas left where the works machinery went up and down along the track by the sea wall. The female was somewhat shy but the male allowed some shots.
 |
| Male Stonechat |
 |
| Male Stonechat |
As I neared the green bank I saw a bird on the beach. I was really surprised and somewhat concerned when I realised it was a diver. I have never seen one on land before and never so close. It did not seem to be injured and was looking around frequently. At times it appeared quite bright eyed and at others looked a lot more worrying as it appeared to doze. Never having seen one on land before I was very unsure what to do for the best. Should I try and get it to a vet or leave it and hope that it was just resting up. I did not want to stress it unnecessarily. I met another bird watcher who felt it could well just be resting and was probably better left to its own devices and in the end that is what I decided to do. I really hope that it was just resting up and once the tide came back in it felt strong enough to go back in the water and feed. I thought it was a Great Northern but wasn’t 100% sure so I had a look at the books when I got home and it was indeed. I have never seen a diver that close. I just really hope that it can recover.
 |
| Great Northern Diver |
 |
| Great Northern Diver |
As I was frozen by this time I headed for home. On the way back I stopped for a rest and couldn’t believe it when 2 Snow Buntings flew in and started feeding almost directly in front of me. They were a very handsome male and a female. They are such gorgeous birds. I managed to get some shots of the male before they continued on down the beach towards Reculver. I did not manage to catch up with them again but felt so lucky to have seen them.
 |
| Snow Bunting |
 |
| Snow Bunting |
 |
| Snow Bunting |
 |
| Snow Bunting |
4 Linnet were feeding in one of the puddles as were a couple of Meadow Pipit. Otherwise the walk back was very quiet. I enjoyed the visit but can’t help worrying about the outcome for the Great Northern Diver.
No comments:
Post a Comment