Reacquainted ourselves today (after picking up Bob Knight), with the
Shellness and Capel Fleet area, arriving shortly before midday. It had been quite a while since we visited this area due to the usual time pressures, but what a great time we had, even though much of what we saw was fairly distant (particularly from a photographic perspective).
At
Shellness, we enjoyed a flock of
Common Scoter (40+),
Great Crested Grebe (2), a hunting ring-tail
Hen Harrier, several
Marsh Harriers,
Brent Geese (c10),
Green Woodpecker (2),
Short-eared Owl (1),
Sanderlings,
Curlews,
Oystercatchers,
Turnstones, a flock of
Chaffinch (100+) concealing among them a single
Brambling, though it was quite possible that we missed others as the flock was flighty and often out of sight!
Following a spot of light lunch at Leysdown we ventured on to
Capel Fleet where we added
Corn Bunting (40+),
Common Buzzard (1),
Green Sandpiper (1),
Little Egret (1),
Linnet (15+),
Merlin (1) and further
Marsh Harriers and another
Short-eared Owl.
Short-eared Owl
Short-eared Owl
Marsh Harrier
Hen Harrier
Brambling (with Chaffinch)
Oystercatcher