Late Summer at Lodmoor Country Park

31st August - 7th September 2024

No family holiday in Weymouth is complete without a visit to Lodmoor Country Park. The site was looking superb with both plenty of water and exposed mud, but not as many waders as I would have expected but lets see what is around. There were of course the usual suspects like this juvenile Lapwing, Heron, the larger Great White Egret, and a lone juvenile Shelduck.

Also a little distant was an adult Sandwich Tern.

A few years ago Mediterranean Gulls were non-existent here, but now outnumber the Black-headed Gulls. The adults are pristine white including their wings with a stouter red bill than their Black-headed counterparts.

But the juveniles have a striking scaly brown appearance.................

.......................whereas 2CY birds have a light grey mantle and wing bar.

On the south scrape was a gathering of Ringed Plovers and a single Dunlin, although there were more on the far bank.

Against a back-drop of reddening Glasswort were a few Black-tailed Godwits settling down for their high tide roost.

Luckily near the path was a hungry godwit feeding just 20 yards away.

Knot seem to be quite scarce here judging by the excitement when a single individual was spotted, when you consider that I see 3000 at a time at Southend!!!

Also close to the path was a rather confiding juvenile Redshank.

But the star of the show today was the Greenshank that was strutting its stuff also just 20 yards away, which is almost certainly the closest I have ever been to a Greenshank.

Well, a fantastic few days at Lodmoor and now on to my favoutite location in Dorset, Portland Bill. 

Watch this space!!!!