The Sloe Food Movement

Four hours passed in no time at all down at Connah’s Quay today with a typical excellent variety of species recorded.

Birds of the day probably go to a couple of Kingfishers – one in hot pursuit of t’other - that flew across the front of the newly officially anointed West Hide, although the three Peregrines on show (a big female perched on Oakenholt Marsh, plus what looked like a father and son circling near Flint Bridge) ran a close second.

Waders were aplenty with good numbers of Redshank and Dunlin feeding on the mudflats, although being around the neap tide time a large amount on mud and sand was exposed and thus the majority of the shorebirds were a good distance away.

The shaven Bunded Pools also had a small flock of Blackwits and Knot and whilst the numbers of Greenshank start to reduce – just five today – the count of Spotted Redshanks now appears to be into the teens.

Twelve birds for definite on the pools, and possibly another three further along the shoreline add up a respectable fifteen and this would corroborate a rumoured total of the same number over the weekend.

Canada Geese get rather overlooked by most birders (me included), but it would be hard to argue that the two and a half thousand or so present on the marsh today didn't represent a great 'natural' spectacle. Scrutiny of the flock revealed a score or so of various hybrids, a few Greylags and what appeared to be a Canada/Brent cross - a new one for me!

It was interesting to note that many of the trees, bushes and shrubs have been trimmed along the road to the Field Centre – possibly before the last Open Day?

Interesting because large numbers of autumn berries appear to have been removed in the process, prompting the question is tidiness more important than food for the birds…?

Connah’s Quay NR 18.10.10

2,000+ Canada Goose
3 Shoveler
3 Peregrine (adult female, adult male and juvenile male)
12+ Spotted Redshank
5 Greenshank
500 Black-tailed Godwit
300 Knot
400 Dunlin
2 Ringed Plover
2 Kingfisher
15 Skylark
2 GC Grebe (adult and juvenile)
1 Little Grebe

Until later.