Psilos Bird Journal
Saturday December 9th 2006
     
"Turnstones and tides" page 2
 
Now that the Knot, Redshank and Dunlin had settled on the rocks it was time for the Turnstone to come down and feed. By this time the sun had gone in and a rain shower was moving across the bay. A stiff breeze was also blowing making flight photography that bit more difficult. To get a high enough shutter speed for the photographs below I had to increase my iso to 400 and open my aperture to its widest setting to let in as much light as possible.
 
 
 
 
 
 
Unlike most waders that do not feed at high tide they take advantage and will feed on the beach right by the walkway. They can be seen by the shore line or in patches of sea weed and flotsom where they forage for crustaceans, insects and any scraps they can find.Turning over small pebbles to find food you can really see how they got their name.
Turnstones once feeding can be very tame and approachable. A small group was making its way towards a large pile of seaweed near to the road and so I laid down and waited for them to come closer. The birds knew I was there but as they didnt feel threatened they continued to feed.
 

 

 
By now the bad weather was really rolling in and I was getting cold so decided to call it a day. Apart from Turnstones there was no chance of getting close to any other wader. Making my way back to the car I was going to get one last surprise. A flock of small birds were flitting around on the boulders. At first I thought they must be sparrows but white outer tail feathers told me this wasnt the case. A small flock of Reed buntings were playing and flying down to the shore line to feed. I have often wondered where reed buntings disappear to but have to admit I had never thought that I would find them here. A nice ending to a rather mixed sort of day.