am/pm
Another special day on the ribble tideline with my old mate Charlie Owen
once a year or so, we make for an area on the ribble at the very highest tide,to get the best birding experience possible for me and Charlie,I will not pinpoint the area as without knowing the tides fully and the experience charlie has over 50 years,it can be very dangerous on the ribble at high tide.We judged it just right and at the highest point the tide was lapping at our wellies as we sat on a lump.It is not for the faint hearted,but we always make sure we have an escape route,if the wind is strong,but today it was like the Med sitting on our lump.
Around us and we were the only ones on the beach was charlie estimated to be 100,000 wader,and what an experience,to have 10,000 sanderling and 40,000+knot within 40 yards of us was as usual fantastic.the waders in number order.
Knot
Dunlin
Sanderling
Oystercatcher
bar tailed Godwit
Ringed Plover
Grey plover
plus the icing on the cake was a tiny Little stint that walked out of the 10,000 sanderling and walked to about 8 feet away ,fancy getting a little stint walk past you in an estury the size of the ribble with all those thousands of waders around you.
Also
Sanwich Tern 100+
Peregrine-1
Also thousands of Gulls of all the common species
Plus White Wagtail feeding on the tideline.
Best Birding Day by miles-who needs to go abroud,or anywere the ribble holds more Waders than almost any other place i have been to.
only problem now is 900 pictures to sort