I spent a couple of hours walking along the Upper Loughor estuary late yesterday afternoon. It’s a location that I should really have visited a lot more frequently than I have done, but as ever time is always a factor. The first birds we saw were a couple of Reed Buntings flitting through, as their name might suggest, the reeds. With strong wind and an increasing drizzle they were keeping themselves well hidden so we moved on. A trio of Common Sandpipers erupted from the river bank before a scan of one of the many shallow pools that cover this low lying area revealed a cracking Knot, amazingly my first one of the year. That is not a comment on the relative abundance of this species in the local area but instead the effect of my spending far too little time around mudflats since Christmas. Amazingly the Knot was incredibly approachable allowing me to get a couple of photos in the increasing gloom.

25012 - Knot, Loughor Estuary

I popped down to the Loughor again this evening in the hope of reconnecting with the Knot, but alas it was not to be. Instead my efforts in often torrential rain resulted in four Green Sandpipers, a new tick for me at this site. There were also plenty of Pied Wagtails present with mixed family groups feeding around the deepening puddles. With failing light there wasn’t much chance of spotting much else but a flock of twelve Mistle Thrush in a nearby field finished the day off nicely.


4 Comments

Sondra · September 5, 2011 at 10:41 pm

Thats a great shot! Hope he comes around again-

Bob Bushell · September 5, 2011 at 11:02 pm

Brilliant shot, and its so near, fantastic.

J · September 5, 2011 at 11:21 pm

There were a few approachable Knots at Blackpill a few days back, but of course I'd left my big lens behind. You did well here – great Knot shot!

Adam Tilt · September 15, 2011 at 8:54 pm

Sondra – me too!

Bob – thanks. I was very surprised at how tame it was.

Jeremy – always the way.

Leave a Reply