Down by the Sea

By Words | Published March 7, 2011

I like to watch the tides. Not literally, but the forecasts which let you know when the tide is in or out, and how high or low it will be. Today, with a very low tide predicted for the end of the day – plus some sunshine – it was a good day to see which of the wading birds would be around.

I wasn't disappointed. The variety was limited, but the sightings were good 😉 First a sequence of oystercatchers feeding in the rock pools.

Up on the cliffs, the fulmars were enjoying the view.

So was I… especially when these beautiful little egrets emerged from the rocks for a brief flight along the shore.

If you want to check your own local tides, use the EasyTide site. It's global and once you've found your local water you can just bookmark the relevant page and time your excursions with confidence. 🙂
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Camera note: all shots taken with the Canon 7D and EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L USM IS lens.

This entry was posted in Birds, coastal, water birds and tagged , , .

14 Comments

  1. cakkleberrylane March 7, 2011 at 11:03 pm #

    Very handy site! Thank you for posting it.

    Lovely birds! The egrets are always so graceful!

  2. RobinL March 8, 2011 at 3:03 am #

    Words, wonderful shots! Oyster Catchers are still on my need to see list! The synchronized Egrets are fabulous!

  3. H82typ March 8, 2011 at 7:03 pm #

    😆 I love Spike! 😆

    I'm totally ignorant here, what's the difference between an egret and a seagull?

  4. gdare March 8, 2011 at 7:03 pm #

    Maybe its the angle but that oystercatcher almost touched a water with its wingtip 😎

  5. Mickeyjoe-Irl March 8, 2011 at 7:03 pm #

    I must go down to the sea again,
    To the lonely sea and sky.
    I left my vest and socks there,
    I wonder if they're dry?

    – Spike Milligan

  6. Words March 8, 2011 at 8:03 pm #

    Lois, it's a great little site. Really useful for knowing what's going on and for seeing the variation in tides over the year. I need the low tide to see the egrets. High tide and they're away!

  7. Words March 8, 2011 at 8:03 pm #

    Darko, I was above them so it may partly be the angle, but it was flying very low, just skimming the surface.

  8. Words March 8, 2011 at 8:03 pm #

    Robin, thanks. It's a challenging landscape to photograph against. The seaweed makes the rocks so dark that I generally switch to manual exposures to have any chance of getting a usable shutter speed. And then of course they take off and the reflected light changes dramatically. The egrets were the icing on the cake.

  9. Words March 8, 2011 at 8:03 pm #

    Mick, LOL! Good ol' Spike 😀

  10. Words March 8, 2011 at 8:03 pm #

    Originally posted by H82typ:

    I'm totally ignorant here, what's the difference between an egret and a seagull?

    Apart from the fact that they're birds, pretty much everything! 😀 Egrets are members of the heron family, long legged wading birds usually found inland. They do come down to the coast to feed, but they're not sea-birds like gulls and they don't follow fishing boats.

    ps: I'm sure Spike would have had a much more pithy answer!

  11. Words March 10, 2011 at 12:03 am #

    Erwin, thanks 🙂

  12. SittingFox March 10, 2011 at 9:03 pm #

    Wonderful to see the egrets! Even ones that have two heads 😉 They really do look almost tropical 😎

  13. Words March 11, 2011 at 12:03 am #

    Adele, the egrets were a beautiful sight. They were quite a way off and it was only the manner of the flight that caught my attention… and then I saw what I was looking at. I love moments like that.

  14. Wulpen October 19, 2012 at 8:10 pm #

    Lovely