September 2023
01.09.23 – 05.09.23 : Walk at dawn around Eskmeals natured reserve on the Esk estuary and walks around Parkside, Cleator Moor
01.09.23 – 05.09.23 We’ve had a mixed bag of weather of late but it looks to have settled down a little bit now, meaning Ive been able to get out and about a bit.
I took a dawn trip to the Eskmeals Nature reserve, just East of Muncaster and on the mouth of the Esk estuary. The Tide had been high during the night so I figured it would be a good morning for it. There’s a firing range at Eskmeals so you have to check the flags to see if any are flying ( red shows firing and yellow that the reserve is closed ), both flags were down so in I went.
The sun wasnt really up but the vast Esk estaury was busy with Great and Little Egregrets, Grey Heron, Mallards, Red Breasted Mergansers, Curlew, Redshank, Herring Gull, Common Tern and Black back gulls in all good numbers. The dunes were a little quieter with just the odd Wheater flitting about and a common Buzzard over head.
As I go into the dunes however I noticed that the M.O.D had been and put both flags up while I was walking so I ha to cut my visit short and make a hasty retreat, stopping only long enough to take a quick photo of a Roe Deer in the dunes !
Back at home at Parkside, I have been trying to get out each evening to find the Barn Owl, but as of yet Ive only seen it on two days, fingers crossed for more. The fields are however full of Swallows, which are busy raising a late brood, which is great to see. There’s been a flock of Linnets in the field as well as all the usual Corvids. The pond remains quiet apart from the heron and the Swallows which have been feeding and drinking, always a great sight ( see the videos ! )
