Flying

A warm and breezy autumn day for our last visit to Saltfleetby-Theddlethorpe NNR this year. While Chris and Pete were  taking pond samples I pottered round Rimac, watching dragonflies over the main pond (which is where I photographed this Southern Hawker in flight)  and walking out onto the saltmarsh, which has now taken on its autumn colours. I was excited to hear and then see the first flocks of Pink-footed Geese, which were a more-or-less constant presence throughout the day, with skeins coming in from the north and resting on the beach before heading inland to feed - autumn's definitely arrived! 

After a late lunch, accompanied by a very chatty ex-employee of the BBC and his gorgeous collie, we headed to Chrurchill Lane where Pete and Chris took their final sample of the day. I wandered over the dunes nearby and got into conversation with another dog-walker, who turned out to be a former warden of the site. We both worked for the Nature Conservancy Council back in the 1980's, and exchanged memories of some of the staff, including the Chief Warden, Maurice Massey, who taught me a great deal about conservation management. 

Our last part of the day was spent on the beach just east of Theddlethorpe St. Helens, which we'd visited last week and had produced some interesting sightings of seabirds including Great Skua and Long-tailed Skua. Today was much quieter, though we still spotted several Arctic Skuas, as well as a few remaining Sandwich Terns and the ever-present Sanderling and Ringed Plover at the edge of the sea.