Saltwick Nab and the fields

Managed to get out late this p.m. for a couple of hours and headed for the "new patch" Saltwick Nab. Piles of gulls all over the place. I ignored the small gulls in the fields by the road as I wanted to get to the sea. A couple of hundred of each of Herring Gull and Great Black-backed Gull were loitering on the water's edge of the in-coming tide as I arrived. A buzz through them found no "white" gulls but a good number of argentatus amongst the local argenteus Herring Gulls.

The wader feeding field held just 39 Curlew but down on the shore there were about 300 Oystercatchers, 40 Redshank, 10 Ringed Plover and 2 Dunlin.

I wandered down to the beach flushing a Song Thrush from the Phragmites as I went. Then climbed up in to the undercliff which is an interesting wet area but apart from a Rockit and 4 Carrion Crows there was nothing much doing.

Out on to the cliff top again and those small gulls were a bit distant but as luck would have it a quick scan and the closest group flew revealing the unmistakable flight pattern of a Mediterranean Gull. The bird settled again and through the scope, even in failing light, a smart adult was revealed.

Onward towards the coastguards where 5 Eider and 88 Common Scoter were sharing the water with a couple of Grey Seals. No Velvets today though.

Then the trudge through the caravan site and back to the car with the lure of Magpie fish 'n' chips to round the outing off.