Arriving at the beach beyond the protected nesting site (well fenced-off and nestled amongst the dunes at the back of the beach), the sight that greeted me was a thing of beauty. A large number of Little Terns were grouped together on the shoreline, whilst a stream of others were flying to and from the nesting site, providing a constant source of food to the young chicks within it. The area is a rich source of sand eels and the terns have no problem locating them.
From the middle of the beach I got a good look at the shoreline terns as they regularly took flight and returned with an array of small fish and eels. This area also held a few Dunlin, 100+ Oystercatcher and almost as many Cormorant.
Taking the direct route back along the beach was not necessarily quicker but it did provide me with a number of bonus sightings including a Grey Seal out at sea. There were a number of Ringed Plover high on the beach (possibly nesting in the shingle) and further along a single bird appeared to follow me for a while as it fed amongst patches of sea-weed.
As the beach widened quite extensively, I spotted a Little Egret feeding around a small area of wet marsh, and to round the day off nicely, two far-off dots proved to be adult and juvenile Peregrine Falcons.
I'll be back...
Little Tern on Gronant shore
Ringed Plover feeding amongst seaweed
Grey Seal - possibly one of the Dee Estuary colony
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