Went up to Holy Island mudflats today with another local birder, hoping we might see a few geese, as they're arriving for the winter around now. Targets were Pink-footed Goose, Brant Goose, Barnacle Goose.
Arrived at the hide to find a group of Brants right in front on the mud, one of them colour-ringed (pic) . . have to see if I can find out where it was ringed. And lots more further back . . . something like 2000 of them. And more geese, this time a flock of Pinkfeet. Oh, and some Barnacles, too, and more Barnacles. And more. A full scan showed something like 2000 Pinkfeet and 3000 Barnacles, many of them flying in off the sea high from the east, fresh in. Lots of other birds too, thousands of Wigeon, hundreds of Redshanks, Red Knots, Dunlin, and Shelducks. Dozens of Grey and Golden Plovers, Curlews, Bar-tailed Godwits, and Pintails. And a Spotted Redshank, quite rare, and late in the season for it to still be around. Then havoc! as two Peregrine Falcons took off to avoid the incoming tide.
Had seen some of the geese over towards fields near Budle Bay a couple of miles south, so we headed off round there to see if there might be more geese there . . . .
