Foulney Island

For many years I've been aware of the eider population around Walney Island, but nothing could have prepared me for the scenes on nearby Foulney Island today. I first came across a flock of about 2000 eider on the east side of the island and thought that was pretty impressive, but then found an even larger flock of around 5000 on the west side! Photos just don't do them justice because it's impossible to get the whole flock in the picture, but I took a short video which you can view here. Certainly I've never seen a flock this big before.

Year: 102 (Eider)

Ringed plover and dunlin.

Sanderling, ringed plover and dunlin.

Sanderling.

Sanderling, ringed plover, turnstone and dunlin.

Grey plover and ringed plover.

Dark-bellied brent geese, plus a few dunlin and redshanks. The geese have no need to move onto winter wheat fields in this area because there are only about 50 of them in the harbour, which will make very little impression on their favoutite food, eel grass.

And here it is, eel grass Zostera marina. The beach is covered in it.