It started as a rather unpromising day with a thick mist over the Reserve and Estuary. At 1.45pm, we could just to say detect small skeins of Barnacles passing west along the shoreline. High tide was due at about 2.30 pm which is when this sort of movement usually occurs, so we concluded that the mist was disorientating them somewhat. The mist gradually started to thin out and it was possible to see suggestions of duck and waders on the edge of the tide as it pushed in.
Barnacles in the gloom.
Barnacles flying west along the marsh.
Wigeon floating in and . . .
. . . making landfall.
Having walked along to the entrance of the Reserve Lonning - from behind a stand of gorse, I was able to observe at closer range anything passing by on the marsh. Soon a steady stream of geese started to appear. They were working their way along the marsh and, through the gloom, could be seen landing in the distance, this side of the Reserve's boundary fence near Saltmarsh Pool.
Barnacles flying along the saltmarsh towards Saltmarsh Pool.
More skeins coming through the haze.
More Barnacles came by, as it started to clear. Flocks of Wigeon beyond.
Barnacles seen more clearly now.
Suddenly shafts of sunlight appeared along the marsh as the mist rapidly cleared - giving better views of the wildfowl there. Groups of Wigeon, Oystercatchers and Shelduck were in evidence with a handful of Barnacles having landed at Scargavel Point.
A shaft of sunlight picked out this small flock.
One of many small groups passing by.
Further groupings.
Barnacles and Wigeon on the water below.
Heading west. Some had already landed by the boundary fence.
Landing on the saltmarsh.
Looking back, a few Barnacles had landed at Scargavel Point - keeping the Shelduck company there. Had they mistaken them for their own in the mist, one wonders?
A group of Shelduck with a few Wigeon further round the Point.