A weekend away on the Lincolnshire coast and no sooner had we departed the marina on Saturday morning than the predicted deluge arrived. We'd planned to start at Gibraltar Point but by the time we neared Boston it was hammering down, so we took a detour and ended up in the hide at RSPB Freiston Shore.
Freiston held good numbers of
Brent Geese and
Wigeon on the salt water lagoon and waders included
Redshank,
Ringed Plover,
Curlew,
Grey Plover,
Dunlin, Black-tailed Godwit and a lone
Knot. We decided to move on after an hour or so and spent the early afternoon in Skegness. After lunch we had a great time enjoying the delights of this seaside town, we actually made a profit on the slots machines for a change!
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| Curlew looking quite surreal in the strong evening sunlight at Gibraltar Point |
By 4 o'clock the rain had subsided and by the time we reached the car park at Gibraltar Point the sun had come out to produce a gorgeous evening. When we arrived at the sea shore the visibility was excellent offering superb views of the Norfolk coastline some distance across the wash. A half dozen
Red-throated Divers were showing beautifully in the late evening sun, their red throats still distinct in the bright sunlight. A few
Grey Seals were popping up now and again and several juvenile
Gannets were practicing their diving a short distance out.
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| View from Gibraltar Point in the late evening! |
A walk along the shoreline to a few open areas gave an opportunity for a prolonged sea-watch and here we recorded:
Arctic Tern,
Sandwich Tern,
Mediterranean Gull and a
Skua SP. far too distant for any positive ID. Waders included
Curlew,
Sanderling, Ringed Plover,
Dunlin,
Grey Plover,
Turnstone and
Bar-tailed Godwit. Stops at Mere Hide and Harvey's Hide on route back to the car further recorded
Meadow Pipit,
Reed Bunting,
Linnet,
Snipe,
Stonechat and to end an enjoyable evening before heading for the hotel, a
Barn Owl hunting close to the car park just as the sun set!
