Sunday 8 May 2016

Marooned!

My first day of the 2016  season on duty on Lindisfarne Nature Reserve to check on the returning Little Terns was eventful in many ways!
The netting ,laboriously positioned by the team earlier that week ,was devastated by the 5.25 metre High Tide which hit for the second time that day at 4 pm. On arrival at the two sites my work was cut out to try to retrieve the seaweed sodden  netting(first remembering to disconnect the electric current!) from the rising tide and to drag it to a higher place - only to turn my back and find once again it was under water!
On the bright side, was the sheer number of waders seen at both sites!Huge numbers of smartly plumaged Dunlin,Turnstone ,Sanderling and Ringed Plover fed frantically and voraciously at the waters edge.Oyster Catcher in lesser numbers were also present and above the mist Sandwich Terns could occasionally be seen,
The highlight was ,of course, the presence of at least 3  -possibly 4 pairs of Little Terns,noisily watching my antics with some anxiety.Unfortunately the area fenced off for them was flooded out but on the bright side ,they had not yet got around to making any scrapes-unlike the Ringed Plovers .
Another highlight of the day was the huge haul out of Grey  Seal-200 plus at a very rough estimate.
On finishing what I could of retrieving the netting-realisation then dawned!My route back to the mainland was impassable so there was nothing else to do but to wait and enjoy the peace and solitude until the water level was low enough  to safely-if wetly- paddle through!


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