There was a cold wind at Rye Harbour today, but personally I think saltmarsh and mudflats are romantic and mysterious when it’s grey and murky. There were lots of ducks and waders on the water, and my dog and I enjoyed a walk round the perimeter fence, salty air stinging our faces. The tide was way out, and Camber Sands was almost deserted.
I didn’t venture into any of the hides as they were quite busy and Ned finds it boring. Bird hides are a bit like libraries, so if he sighs ostentatiously or starts whining I get “looks” from the other birders. I still had a good view, and it was great to see so many birds.
Here is my list from today:
- Magpie
- Stonechat (male and female)
- Lapwing
- Teal
- Shoveler
- Little Egret
- Great Black-backed Gull
- Herring Gull
- Mallard
- Wigeon
- Cormorant
- Starling
- Wood Pigeon
- Curlew
- Golden Plover
- Redshank
- Pied Wagtail
There will have been more but at this time of year everything looks a bit grey-blobbish from a distance (even through bins) but I was happy with my list anyway. I headed to the Discovery Centre to fill in my birdwatching logbook and have a much-needed cuppa and a flapjack. I was watching a young (3rd winter) Herring Gull picking up a bivalve and dropping it onto the stones below. He must have done this about 15 times before the shell cracked and he could enjoy the morsel, but it was fascinating to watch. I knew gulls (and corvids) sometimes did this but I’ve never seen it myself.
