Backsand Update

Today’s walk around the estate was poor compared with yesterday with only 6 willow warblers (30 yesterday), no garden warblers( 3 yesterday) and no whinchats (2 yesterday). However there were a lot of green woodpeckers  - somewhere around 8 on the estate and another 2 at Newdowns.

Restharrow scrape was devoid of waders but several corn and reed buntings plus a yellow wagtail or two provided some entertainment.

At 10.00 I set off for Backsand arriving at 10.30; high tide being about 11.30. When I arrived a lot of the birds were already in situ. Very distantly there were 23 green shank and 6 redshank and that’s where they stayed for most of the session. On arrival there were 3 or 4 green sands and their numbers steadily increased as the high tide grew near peaking at 12. The peak count of common sand was only 4 but more welcome were the 2 black-tailed godwit and a short staying whimbrel.

Black-tailed godwit

Whimbrel

The water is very low now with only a small channel between the hides and the mud bank. Whilst this provides the potential for the birds to get close they are very skittish near to the hide and often sprint past making photography a little problematic (especially when the clouds gather and shutter speed drops). One green sand did have the good grace to stop and poreen quite close though.

Green Sandpiper

One common sand also spent a few minutes quite close and allowed decent shots of it’s feet. I have burbled on about the palmations that common sandpiper s show between the outer toes previously and these shots show it quite well:

Common Sandpiper

Common Sand's feet plus palmations

Of the other birds just a few mallard and shelduck,  2 little egret, 2 oycs, 1 little grebe and a few lapwing.

The walk down and back (in light rain) provided little in the way of entertainment though I did find 6 mistle thrushes on the wires near the entrance to St George’s