Three Gunners Park Firsts

4th February 2026

After a superb morning at Two Tree Island on the rising tide, time for a quick visit to see what Gunners Park has to offer. The usual Redshank high tide roost was on the island on the lake, but difficult to photograph as it is a long line of birds on the top of the bank so can't get them all in.

Here are a couple of groups although today there were 100+ birds present, one of the highest counts I have seen here.

On the sea wall was a single Dunlin sitting on one of the breakwaters......................

....................and a number of Turnstones trying to find a morsel in the nooks and crannies of the pebble sea defences.

At the coastguard end of the beach was a massive flock of waders including Dunlins, Sanderlings and Ringed Plovers, and I would estimate the total number of birds to be conservatively 1000+.

Luckily the Ringed Plovers kept to the edge of the flock.

So what were my three Gunners Park firsts? Well the first was this rather confiding Knot perched on a breakwater very close to the sea wall. Of course there can be thousands of Knot in the estuary during the winter months, but this is the first one I have seen at Gunners Park.

Second was the 1st winter female Scaup which was quite obliging on the lake.

And the third and by far the most unexpected was this Kittiwake sitting on one of the posts by the jetty. I know they are sometimes seen flying past here, but the first one I have ever seen here and even better that it was perched, albeit into the light.

Wow, that will do nicely!!!