Backsand and it's access

Yesterday (12th) I spent the morning around the estate but ending up in the Gullies where a mixed flock of willow warblers, plus a mixed flock of tits kept me amused.  Also on show were several green and a lone great spotted woodpecker.

Willow warbler

Green Woodpecker (juv)

Gt Spotted woodpecker

High tide was 15.20 so just after midday I went down to Backsand.

Things are a lot better now with a lot of sand/mud revealed with even the area just in front of the photographic hide now showing some mud.

When I arrived the only waders were 4 green sands plus a snipe but as high tide approached the red and greenshanks started coming in with one of the first greenshanks walking from the roost to feed right in front of me.

Greenshank

Eventually I had enjoyed a few minutes of green sand, common sand and the snipe quite close to the hide but the light was poor – it was slightly overcast (normally good) but there is still so much water around that the glare caused problems.

Green sandpiper

Common sandpiper

Snipe

Quite late on a new small wader turned up and when I first saw it I thought a Kentish plover had dropped in but my excitement was dashed when I got the scope onto it. Eventually it too came over towards the hide but was never close.

Little ringed plover 

I packed up around 16.00 but as I was leaving I was challenged by some Environment Agency surveyors who asked why I was there. I told them the Obs had reached an agreement as to how we should get there but they disputed that permission should have been given – they were staking out the bund right across the access path! The exchange was amicable but they said they would contact their H&S guy and I said I would talk to Ian at the Obs. Today I discussed it with Ian and after a phone call to the H&S Manager (Alan someone I think) we arranged a meeting for 15.00 today.

Actually the Manager couldn't get there but 2 other EH&S guys turned up (one called Stuart) and we went down to the scrape and drove/walked around. The long and the short of it is that we will still have access using the route I discussed in a previous blog (via Newdowns new pool) and we have to get to the hides via the track between the scrape bund and the ditch (even though this is the long way round to the Photo-hide).

The bund the guys were staking out yesterday has been placed too close to the ditch and will be moved away from it by a couple of meters and a fence erected separating our access path from the construction site. We will have to stay on the ditch side of the fence which will be regarded as outside the construction boundary. At times the diggers will be working very close to the proposed fence so caution is advised and even though you will be outside the construction boundary it will be wise to make shore the drivers have seen you.

Hopefully the fence will be erected soon but I will let you know as soon as I do.