From Tuesday 25th to Saturday 30th June, I have managed to count 9 sectors from Donna Nook to Cleethorpes inclusive. The low tide counts are instigated by Natural England every 5 years to satisfy the requirements of Humber SPA status and this time are organised by the BTO for NE. They have run monthly from October 2011 to be completed September 2012.
My sectors only run from Horseshoe Point (HSP) to Humberston, but I have completed the Pyes Hall count for Rob Scott this month with the Grainthorpe count being a supplemental to Neil Pike's and for the counter for Cleethorpes.This is because I was keen to get an idea of total birds present.
In fact, bird numbers, whilst important, are not the key objective of the low tide count project. The aim is to identify key feeding areas within each sector and to record birds multiple times, should they move feeding area, and to identify the moves on maps provided.
June is obviously the quietest month, with those conducted earlier in the month including later passage migrants and those later in the month, returning birds. For instance, when John Walker, Steve Lorand and I carried out low water counts from Donna Nook southwards down to Mablethorpe, we had good numbers of Tundrae ringed plovers and dunlin, but on these later counts, I have had many returning curlew.
It's not possible to total the birds up, because curlew have been moving all week and the only ringed came in high off the sea. I presume 6 bar-tailed godwits, 1 grey plover and whimbrel and greenshank were also new in. All the migrant waders were in full summer plumage. with 3 of the godwits being brick red in colour and 1 dusky pink.
Most of the oystercatchers, which are over-summering birds, were in non-breeding plumage. There at least a dozen breeding pairs in the area.
Redshanks are probably undercounted because I didn't mud-slop the creeks. Quite a few of those in the Pyes Hall area were young birds. According to RSPB counts, based on a standard formula, there are 60+ breeding pairs across the Tetney marshes. If this is correct, then there must be a much higher level on Grainthorpe marsh.
There were shelduck with young on both Grainthorpe and Tetney havens.
For clarification, Donna Nook stretches southwards from Pyes Hall, Pyes Hall stretches northwards to include the Grainthorpe marsh south of the Haven, Horseshoe Point stretches from north of Grainthorpe to North Cotes, North Cotes Point starches to Tetney Have, Tetney stretched from west of the haven to the boat club and Humberston stretches to Cleethorpes leisure centre.
Inputting this information is time consuming. Is it wanted and useful? It will obviously be input by sector into the BTO low tide count system, so inputting here is additional work for me.
Regards
Cliff