Feeding frenzy

When we were walking along Whitburn beach in Sunderland this afternoon I noticed a dense flock of about 150 black-headed gulls on the tide line and as we got closer I could see ....

... that they were all picking something off the sand, in a real feeding frenzy.

A closer look revealed many thousands of these tiny white maggots washed in by the incoming tide.

Here they are - the larvae of the seaweed fly Coelopa frigida.

About a week ago we had a spell of warm weather that must have been perfect for these flies to breed in the big piles of kelps and wracks that form natural compost heaps on the beach.

Then two days ago Storm Doris arrived, creating mountainous waves that would have washed the rotting kelps and the fly larvae into the sea.

Today the tide brought them back in again in enormous numbers on this short stretch of beach, providing a fantastic feeding opportunity for the gulls and also for waders like turnstones, sanderlings and redshanks.

As the old saying goes, 'it's an ill wind that blows nobody any good'.

I must go down to the sea again, to the lonely sea and sky ....

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

Spike Milligan

Well, I did go down to the sea again today but kept my shoes and socks on, because it was hellish cold - but it was a great way to spend a Saturday.

After a browse around Tynemouth Market, we walked out onto Tynemouth piers ....

.... where we encountered this very handsome pigeon, with beautiful orange eyes and iridescent throat plumage, before we headed along the path to North Shields for fish and chips in the excellent Waterfront fish and chip restaurant ...

... passing these busy purple sandpipers that were feeding along the sea wall while they waited for the tide to turn.

After that we had a quick stroll alone Union Quay where this black-headed gull and ...

..... herring gull posed for portraits

As we walked back to the car park someone threw chips to the herring gulls, so predictably all hell broke loose as they scrambled for them. A  cacophony of herring gulls.

Then it was off along the coat to St.Mary's island, where the sun came out.

Lots of these beautifully patterned grey top shells Gibbula cineraria under the rocks around the rock pools...

 .... and even more of these hermit crabs to tease, by turning them upside down ...

..... and watching their contortions as they were forced to come out of  their shells to right themselves.

One very disgruntled hermit crab.

Oh, I-do-like-to-be-beside-the-seaside....

Tynemouth this morning: blue sky, blue sea, a bracing breeze, salty air, ships on the horizon, lapping waves, raucous gulls, fish-and-chips for lunch at the Waterfront in North Shields ..... perfect Saturday morning at the seaside.

Immaculate Plumage

They may be commonplace but you have to admit that black-headed gulls look pretty slick when they're decked out in full-breeding plumage. Mind you, when they open their beaks and let loose a volley of abuse at a near neighbour, the cacophony can make you wince... 

Christmas Dinner in a Bun

A combination of cabin fever, after too many days of snow, and a burning desire to break the mould of our typical Christmas led us to take our Christmas dinner in picnic form today, on the seafront at Tynemouth. And mighty fine it was too; glorious sunshine for a post-picnic walk along to North Shields fish quay and back. Two of the beneficiaries of our alfresco Christmas dinner were this black-headed gull............

...and this feral pigeon - both fine specimens of nature's waste disposal units.

The walk to North Shields yielded this handsome curlew...and......

... numerous oystercatchers whose beaks almost glowed in the low-angle winter sunshine and which....

....hopped with great aplomb from rock to rock, plus........

.... this crow that had found its own Christmas dinner that it had to defend against some pretty fierce-looking...

...great black-backed gulls..... while, also in black-and-white, up at the fish quay we came across this....

... grubby-looking pied wagtail, looking for scraps, and a...

... drake eider swimming .........

amongst the trawlers that were in harbour for Christmas. Then, on the way back we passed .....

... turnstones, that seemed to have added de-icing grit to their diet, and ....

... this very smartly turned-out redshank, complete with leg ring. But, best of all, there were scores of these wonderful...

... golden plovers, whose feather edges literally glowed golden in the afternoon sunlight. In about three and a half months I'll be listening to their plaintive calls as they begin to arrive back on their breeding grounds on Chapel Fell in Weardale.

A Christmas day to remember.

Merry Christmas to all........