Friday 3 February 2012

Traeth Harlech 03/02/12

Another low tide count on Harlech beach today. Conditions looked promising with calm seas and no wind. Ironically, visibility was poor due to heat disortion ( at -4!) Most scoter were shimmering black blobs in the distance. Apart from these

So no Velvets, never mind a Surf.
Fortunately some birds were more considerate and were closer in (if mostly submarine)

Two Slavs

A couple of nice adult little gulls were patroling the beach splashing into the water occasionally after prey. Sadly, far too quick for an old-school digiscoper ; )

A couple of Black-necked Grebes were very welcome - not as regular here as in the past. I was a bit baffled after looking through my pictures back home. What do you think? Are ther 2 or 3 birds?
Reckon only two, but remarkable how summer-plumaged the male(?) looked the further away it gotBack on dry sand numbers were down for all waders apart from Knot which were up to 505 : )

[Another 504 knot are available]

At the northen most point of the beach a young Great Northern Diver floated downstream in the channel between Black Rocks and Halech beaches catching crabs.


Driving home from Harlech a red kite drifted south towards my old school - a sight that would have had me falling off my seat a few short years ago ; )


1 comment:

  1. Great selection Rhys! As said previously it's a top site that's totally underwatched - the wader numbers are always 10x that of the Porthmadog side of the estuary due to the persistent disturbance by dogs, people and learner drivers on Black Rock Sands.

    Shame/brilliant it's hard to get to - must make the effort for more trips there.

    Hard to tell how many BN Grebes you had from the distant images but good to know they're still using the site.

    Hwyl

    Andrew

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