With Nor-Westerly gales blasting the coast we looked for a bit of shelter and headed south.
A quick look at Blackpool Mill in the hope of Dippers was not productive with high water levels.
The mainly beech woods at Minwear sheltered us from the gales and some large flocks of Chaffinch's were feeding in the leaf litter presumably on fallen beech-mast although if there were any Brambling among them I missed them, A small Sparrowhawk i thought must be a sub-adult male flitted in among the treetops no doubt ready to pounce on some unwary Chaffinch.
Further down the road we arrived at Landshipping braving the teeth of the gale I began a count of what seemed to be a lot of Dunlin. I had just got to 84 with plenty more to go when they all flung up in a way they makes Starling mumuration seem dull in comparison with a couple of hundred or so of these speedy little waders zinging and sparkling in fast formation low over the narrowed River and exposed mudflats. The catalyst of this kaleidoscopic aerial ballet, a Peregrine, made a quick grab at a Lapwing, one of a hundred or so that also lifted up into the gale before speeding after the blizzard of Dunlin. Unfortunately my eyes were watering so much by then I lost sight of the drama as it played out downstream.
