High Tide at Blackpill

I took a walk along my local beach in Swansea on Wednesday evening, the 31st August. It was high tide, and a large group of Ringed Plovers and Dunlins had gathered at Blackpill beach, which is the only patch of sand to remain uncovered as the sea rises. I didn't have my big lens with me, but the birds were quite approachable in the dusk light, so I settled down to watch them for a few moments, and took a bit of footage with my camcorder:



Could have done with a bit of editing, really, and the wind noise is a bit annoying, but it was nice for once just to sit and watch these fascinating creatures, instead of rushing around trying to get photos as I normally do.

High Tide II

It was quite sunny this evening, so, again, I headed down to Blackpill to see what was around at high tide. Amongst the many gulls, was this Black-headed Gull:

There was a large roosting flock of Oystercatchers, until something or someone disturbed them, and they took to the skies (the city of Swansea can be seen in the background):



There was the usual abundance of Ringed Plovers, including this juvenile:

And this adult:

Dunlins were probably the most numerous of the birds there this evening, and looked great as the evening sunshine illuminated their plumage:

There were also a small number of Sanderlings present:

As well as some Turnstones:

As the sun dipped over the horizon, I went over to where the main flock of birds were roosting:

Just as I had packed my gear away, I peered over the sand dunes and saw two Grey Plovers on the beach, one of which was attempting to eat a small crab it had caught. I got my stuff out again, and was able to get a few shots before a stray dog scared both birds away. Just as well I had taken my tripod with me today, as the exposure for this shot was 1/15th sec. at f/4.5 and ISO 400 - using mirror lock-up and the 2-second delay self-timer. Thankfully, it stayed reasonably still, and I was able to get a fairly sharp shot:

High Tide

This evening, I walked along to Blackpill, which is where the birds gather at high tide on Swansea Bay. I spotted three Brent Geese fly in, as well as a couple of Grey Plovers. There was also the usual large flock of Oystercatchers, together with a large group of Dunlins, mixed in with a smaller number of Ringed Plovers, and a handful of Turnstones. I sat down quietly on the beach with my 500mm lens, hoping a bird or two would come close enough for some pictures. After a short time, a few Dunlins trotted by, sometimes coming too close to focus on, and enabled me to get some pictures:

After a while, a mad dog rushed onto the beach, and put the Oystercatcher flock to flight:



One flying quite close in front of me:



Once the sun went over the horizon, I headed home!