Tuesday, 7 December 2021

Great Northern Diver and Great Egret cameo

   
A hopeful trip to the Lurgies on Monday morning to see if the Great Northern Diver Graham reported was still there. 
I arrived as the tide was perhaps a third in, and as it was a big tide the Basin was filling quickly. I scanned the area, even as far as the railway bridge but just couldn't see a large diver, so I decided to hide behind a gorse bush and hope it would eventually turn up.
I was entertaining myself trying to photograph Goldeneye in flight, and after about an hour the GND popped up right in front of me, I hadn't seen it coming up with the tide. I was lucky that it stayed briefly on the surface and I got a few photos, 20 minutes later and the sun would have been out, hey ho! It continued to dive as it swan upstream and each time it surfaced it was another 40 metres upstream as seen in the video.
I tried to keep up with it, but lost it behind the bushes when I think it swam up the bankside channel, I was carrying too much gear and could only move when it dived.
A search upstream above the Slunks was fruitless but as I stood there the Great Egret flew high over the Shelduck Hide, and as I walked back to the car the Water Rail I'd heard earlier briefly showed as it crossed quickly across an open bit in the reeds.


My pet Wasp, he's called "Sting" he's a Geordie wasp found outside on 4/12/2021 in the rain at 7pm, doing well with some heat, water and sugar, 3 days later



Great Northern Diver at the Lurgies, just upstream from the old harbour











Great Egret over the Shelduck Hide, heading to the Wigeon Hide area



Little Egret flying to the pool next to the old Shelduck Hide



Very wary Goldeneye were flying around being spooked by just about anything. I suppose they'll be getting shot at morning and night


They always land in the middle of the channel, and never settle until high tide near the old Shelduck Hide



One of the two Little Egrets with two Greenshanks in the foreground, in the channel at Miss Erskine's Bank just as it flooded on the big tide


Two Grey Seals were working the pool near the old harbour, and one chased something but without success


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