An absolutely awful day weather-wise with rain lasting well into late afternoon. On the way back from a shopping trip to Weymouth I pulled into Billy Winters car park at around 2pm. From there I walked under the road-bridge to see the Dark-bellied Brent Geese, which were right in close to waters edge.
After awhile as the water levels dropped, a huge flock of 100+ geese took off and headed down the Fleet leaving another 50+ geese on the sandflats further up by the Visitors Centre.
Also on the sandflats, but right up against Chesil Beach were 100's of waders. In the appalling conditions it was difficult to tell if there were anything else but Dunlin.
Also on the sandflats were a few Great Black-backed Gulls, Herring Gulls, Black-headed Gulls and a couple of Mediterranean Gulls in Summer plumage.
Here are a few images and a couple videos from today:
You get the feeling as you watch this video that they are very nervous birds as they continually check for danger and probably what the other Brent Geese are doing.
Birds Recorded: 150+ Dark-bellied Brent Goose, 3 Red-breasted Merganser, 100+ Dunlin, Black-headed Gull, Mediterranean Gull, Herring Gull, Great Black-backed Gull, Meadow Pipit, Pied Wagtail, Carrion Crow and Starling.
Here are a few images and a couple videos from today:
Here are 2 pairs of Brent Geese.
The pair on the right are not to happy about the pair to their left.
Back to feeding again with a Mediterranean Gull for company.
Here another group are.........
.........joined by a small flock coming into land as the weather really began to deteriorate.
These 4 have had enough and are off.
A close up of one of the Mediterraneans Gull on the sandflats.
Rubbish photo, but looking at all these birds in the photo, I can't see anything other than Dunlin.
Likewise in this photo as well. There were probably around 100 birds close-up to Chesil Beach.
In amongst the washed seaweed was..........
..........Eelgrass which is what the geese were feeding on.
Birds Recorded: 150+ Dark-bellied Brent Goose, 3 Red-breasted Merganser, 100+ Dunlin, Black-headed Gull, Mediterranean Gull, Herring Gull, Great Black-backed Gull, Meadow Pipit, Pied Wagtail, Carrion Crow and Starling.