Sunday 8 January 2017

Waders etc at Angle Bay and Cosheston Pill

This morning we joined (along with about a dozen or so other participants) Clive Hurford's waders field-trip to Angle Bay, ending up at Cosheston Pill. Most of the expected species were seen in reasonable light before murky weather started to set in.


At Angle bay and harbour area, there were mixed feeding and roosting flocks of waders including at least 15 or more bar-tailed godwits, 8-10 knot, 80-100 dunlin, good numbers of curlew, a few ringed and grey plovers and turnstone etc. More than 20 snipe came out of the salt-marsh plus a single jack snipe.





The usual waterfowl included good numbers of wigeon, several pintails, 5 pale-breasted brent geese (probably a family party) and a single dark-bellied brent. We had distant views of at least 3-4 great crested grebes and a likely common scoter (assumed to be the same bird noted here at the end of 2016). The usual array of gulls included quite a few common gulls but no Med gulls were noted today. A merlin was seen near the road on the way to Angle village from Rhoscrowther.



Later in the day over at Cosheston Pill, as the drizzle and mist began to settle in, at least 34 black-tailed godwits were at roost with lapwings and other waders. Six greenshanks showed quite well in the murky conditions - calling and flying around (perhaps spooked by a passing peregrine). Just before we departed a kingfisher flew over the sheet of water but it looked decidedly dull in the gloom.

Despite the deteriorating weather, hopefully everyone enjoyed the day and managed to see most of the species.  Thanks Clive for organising it.