Lytham, Lancashire
Tags dunlin, knot, lytham, ringed plover, turnstone
Is anyone else having problems with tide times?
After work on Monday morning I had planned to do a bit of sea-watching at Starr Gate, South Blackpool.
High tide was supposed to be 07.41, according to the BBC tide tables. That's GMT, so allowing for BST, high tide would be 08.41
My boss allowed me to take some time accrued, so I was able to leave work early and arrived at Starr Gate for 7am - 1 hour 40 minutes before high tide - GREAT!
The trouble is, the tide was already in - not a snippet of beach visible, waves lapping on the sea wall defences!!
I ask if anyone else is having this problem because this is the 3rd time this year it's happened - twice in January and now today!!
Anyway, not to be defeated, once I'd stopped swearing, I decided to hop on a bus and go to Lytham. Twenty minutes later I was at the Windmill and watching Swallows and Meadow Pipits flying over the salt marsh.
This unexpected detour proved to be for the best as further along the beach I came across a large, 60+ flock of Ringed Plover with around 40+ Turnstone, resplendent in their summer plummage. I've only seen Turnstone in the winter months before so it was nice to see them so colourful today.
I watched them for a good 15 minutes or so before stumbling across a small group of 8 Dunlin, also my first sighting of these in summer plummage and only my 3rd ever, but best, sighting.
A few minutes after this I saw a solitary juvenile Knot, which was a lifer for me, so in the end I was very pleased the tide was in!!
My sightings for this trip included:
Jackdaw
Crow
Woodpigeon
Pigeon
Black headed gull
Lesser black backed gull
Great black backed gull
Starling
House Sparrow
Meadow Pipit
Swallow
Shelduck
Mallard
Ringed Plover
Turnstone
Dunlin
Knot
Oystercatcher
There are some images in my Ribble Estuary - Lytham to Blackpool album.
After work on Monday morning I had planned to do a bit of sea-watching at Starr Gate, South Blackpool.
High tide was supposed to be 07.41, according to the BBC tide tables. That's GMT, so allowing for BST, high tide would be 08.41
My boss allowed me to take some time accrued, so I was able to leave work early and arrived at Starr Gate for 7am - 1 hour 40 minutes before high tide - GREAT!
The trouble is, the tide was already in - not a snippet of beach visible, waves lapping on the sea wall defences!!
I ask if anyone else is having this problem because this is the 3rd time this year it's happened - twice in January and now today!!
Anyway, not to be defeated, once I'd stopped swearing, I decided to hop on a bus and go to Lytham. Twenty minutes later I was at the Windmill and watching Swallows and Meadow Pipits flying over the salt marsh.
This unexpected detour proved to be for the best as further along the beach I came across a large, 60+ flock of Ringed Plover with around 40+ Turnstone, resplendent in their summer plummage. I've only seen Turnstone in the winter months before so it was nice to see them so colourful today.
I watched them for a good 15 minutes or so before stumbling across a small group of 8 Dunlin, also my first sighting of these in summer plummage and only my 3rd ever, but best, sighting.
A few minutes after this I saw a solitary juvenile Knot, which was a lifer for me, so in the end I was very pleased the tide was in!!
My sightings for this trip included:
Jackdaw
Crow
Woodpigeon
Pigeon
Black headed gull
Lesser black backed gull
Great black backed gull
Starling
House Sparrow
Meadow Pipit
Swallow
Shelduck
Mallard
Ringed Plover
Turnstone
Dunlin
Knot
Oystercatcher
There are some images in my Ribble Estuary - Lytham to Blackpool album.
Total Comments 5
Comments
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Its nice at lytham aint it........well done with your first knot.Posted 25-05-10 at 06:26 AM by bassist
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I like Lytham too.....always good for wader.....nice Knot pic Alan!
Try here for tide times on your next trip.......maybe the Beeb are a bit out???
EasyTide - on-line tidal predictions from the UKHOPosted 25-05-10 at 07:49 AM by Twitcheruth
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Lytham looks and sounds great, Alan! Pleased for you that your detour was productive...nice on with the Knot too! Great pics!Posted 25-05-10 at 05:50 PM by Little Sparrow
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Thanks guy's - I like Lytham too!!
There's usually Curlew and Redshank too but didn't see any on the day. Still, I'm happy enough.
Thanks for the link Ruth - I compared it with the BBC and the times do match up! I can't fathom it out, apart from going 4 hours before the predicted high tide, I don't know what else to do.Posted 25-05-10 at 06:33 PM by alanjns
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Could be that a particularly high tide with strong winds towards shore could be bringing the tide in early. Check back in your tide book to see if the other times were quite high tides. Just a thought.Posted 26-05-10 at 08:39 PM by JONNY74
