A sign of the tides

 There are some wildlife spectacles which cross over from being for hardcore nature lovers into those which attract people from far and wide. One of these is the wader roost at Snettisham. This is on the edge of the Wash where large groups of waders gather on the vast expanses of mud at low tide. As the sea rushes back in they get forced closer to the shore until eventually there is no more land and they fly inland to roost whilst waiting for the tide to turn. The delight of it is that it is very predictable. Combine a very high tide with increasing numbers of waders through Autumn and into Winter and you can find tens of thousands of birds flying right over your head as they head into the small lagoons. July is not normally a great time to go as the numbers of birds are only starting to build up. A combination of a date with a high tide at a decent time and a number of rarer birds on site as well tempted into an early morning start towards Norfolk. 

By 7.30 I was pulling onto a car park which was already around half full. After a quick coffee and bun I gathered my gear and set off for the 20 minute walk to the point. The tide was miles out but you could see large numbers of waders on the exposed wash.

With the tide out it was a hard job trying to find any one bird. There was a large group of us on the seawall scanning the mud trying to find three specific birds - white-rumped, semi-palmated and pectoral sandpiper. 

It was pretty much impossible with so many birds to go through but after an hour of trying we managed to locate the pectoral sandpiper along with a little stint and a few curlew sandpipers. More excitingly we were constantly being serenaded by a turtle dove in the bushes behind us. They breed here and it is one of the most reliable locations for them now.

By now the tide was really starting to come in and the waders were on the move. A very large group were getting pushed closer and closer to us

 and smaller groups were already coming over us

including a very vocal whimbrel.

The main event then started to get going as larger and larger groups took to the air to retreat ahead of the advancing tide. If you've never been, the tide here comes in faster than you could walk across the very flat mudflats so the birds are kept in constant movement. The  number of people watching had grown as well, with a combination  of hard-core birders as well as families all enjoying the sights and sounds.

Two main flocks were being driven closer to us - the knot and dunlin from out in the wash and oystercatchers and gulls from closer in. Small groups were constantly flying over our position, the noise of their wings often heralding their approach.

The bottom photo of the oystercatchers is interesting as it looks like a lot of dust on the lens but its actually one of the large flocks flying behind them.

As the available mud decreased in size the birds were pushed into smaller and smaller areas.

Finally as the water took over the land the mass flocks took off and came right over our heads to roost on the islands behind us.

At times the sky was full of birds with people looking up in wonder at the sight. Almost as suddenly as it began the sky emptied as the birds settle down into the roost. This was my sign to head off to the hide and have a look at them on the ground.

The hide is quite new and well set up for one reason - the wader roost!

The birds all crowd onto the islands wilt they wait for the tide to recede and they can go out back out to feed. The flock takes a bit to settle down but there is alway movement amongst the birds, mainly knot, dunlin and godwits.

With the birds a lot closer we stood more chance of finding the slightly rarer birds. After a few minutes of scanning we were lucky that the white-rumped sandpiper found itself on the edge of the flock and most of us managed to get onto it (not easy!). 

Its the bird in the middle - same size as the dunlin but without the dark belly. Its feathers are more definitely marked and occasionally it flapped its wings and showed its white-rump! We also found the pectoral sandpiper but that was in the middle of the flock and none of my photos show it well!!!

It would be another hour or so before they left so I wished them well and pottered off. Walking back along there seawall I came across more waders and a nice flock of little terns.

I headed off for one more stop at Titchwell. Comparatively it was quiet on the bird, if not the people, front though I did find both little

and Temmincks stint on the fresh marsh after a lot of looking.

Both very smart bird and nice to get on the yearlist. A good day all round, and one I need to repeat later when the wader flocks at Snettisham have increased.

 

Clowns of the sea

 I first went to Skomer off the Pembrokeshire coast about 15 years ago with two work colleagues. It has now become an annual pilgrimage. The attraction is the breeding colony of around 40,000 puffins on a small island only a short trip off the Welsh coast. From mid-May through to late July you are surrounded by them as they walk between your feet.

This year we stayed locally so had a very relaxed morning before going down to Martin's Haven to meet our boat. It was a bit choppy on the way across but despite an overnight weather advisory we completed the short trip and were greeted by hundreds of puffins, guillemots and razorbills in the small harbour.

You have about 4 hours on the island to walk around which is ample to cover most of the areas of interest. It is a pretty flat island with small cliffs bordering the coast and an internal area covered in grass, wildflowers and a small swampy area.

What you do notice are the puffins, absolutely everywhere. There are two or three hotspot areas for them where you can stand and study them. They nest in burrows but a lot of the adults when not out fishing are seen mooching around on the grass or apparently having meetings!

They are quite vocal birds as well, with a strange mewing, moaning call. You also get to see their incredible throats and beaks, more of which later.

Of course, with hungry "pufflings" to feed they can't rest for too long so they fly out to sea to catch sandeels. At places like the Nook the air is filled with them. Its one of those sights you can't capture in a photo unfortunately.

Their flight is a bit bee-like with rapid flapping wings on a body which doesn't really look very aerodynamic 

and their landings are more like a controlled crash.

What everyone is looking out for are the returning birds with their beaks draped with sandeels.

Amazingly they catch multiple fish and bring them back in their beaks. This is where their beaks, tongues and mouth comes in. They have backward facing spikes to hold each one in as they catch others. Apparently the record is over 30 but 6-10 seemed quite common. This year is apparently good for them. In the North sea the puffins are suffering from a lack of sandeels partly due to overfishing for fertiliser and animal feed and also with warming waters driving them further north.

As they fly in they have to evade the many gulls trying to steal their fish 

weaving around and frequently going round again

before landing and scuttling into their burrows.

Puffins aren't the only iconic species of the island. Choughs are found on the seaward coast, probing the cliff tops for bugs.

There are also large numbers of guillemots and razorbills but they tend to be on there rockier coasts. Some come close enough for a photograph though!

Finally we had to drag ourselves away from this magical place. It so good to see a success story where nature is thriving and you can share to with them. The wardens work very hard to keep the island as pristine as possible and it really shows. I'm sure that next June we will be back!!