Couldn't help being impressed by David's observation yesterday of 300+ snipe at Newgale area. Today (around lunch-time) at Landshipping, where we walked a circuit with family, we noted a flock of snipe roosting on the seaweed covered-shore and on adjacent turf totalling at least 100 birds. We cannot recall seeing anywhere this number of snipe roosting together in such numbers in this area before. We wonder if flooding experienced in certain parts of Britain has forced snipe to move away from wetlands that are just too flooded at present? Perhaps even the local marshes are just to wet at present?
Equally impressive were flocks of 2,000+ golden plover and 1,200 to 1,500+ lapwing in the air between Landshipping Quay and Sprinkle Pill (flushed and panicked for several minutes by a hunting peregrine). Teal numbers were also impressive, with at least 1,000-1,500 birds estimated to be feeding/resting along the shore between Landshipping Quay and Rigan Pill. In the distance we could see about 100 shelduck feeding on the Sprinkle Pill shore and about 3-400 dunlin were flying about in the general area.
