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Tag Archives: mussel beds

Birds by the sea

02 Saturday Jul 2016

Posted by theresagreen in birds of the seashore, Birdwatching on North Wales coast, mussel beds, Nature of Wales, Rhos Point, wading birds

≈ 7 Comments

Tags

Curlew, European Herring Gull, mussel beds, Oystercatcher, Rhos Point, sandwich tern

June 20th-Rhos Point

13.34- A sunny day with a strong breeze made it feel cold, but I was in need of some quick-fix fresh air and for that, Rhos Point is the perfect spot. It’s also one of my favourite spots for watching wading birds, although I don’t visit it much during the breeding season as it is almost deserted by birds and becomes uncannily quiet. Today I arrived as the tide was coming in and I spotted a small group of Oystercatchers waiting patiently for today’s incoming lunch, so I waited too to see if they would be joined by others.

As I made my way down nearer to the shore I heard some lively chirruping emanating from a shrub that has taken hold on the promenade edge, then a few House Sparrows flew out and headed for the shore below to forage amongst the exposed rocks.

160620-Rhos Point 1334-House Sparrow

Two elegant Sandwich Terns flew low over the sea, close to its edge.

160620-Rhos Point 1335-Sandwich Terns flying

13.37 pm – Oystercatchers on the sea edge use the waiting time to rest or preen.

160620-Rhos Point 1337-Oystercatchers 160620-Rhos Point 1337b-Oystercatchers

Oystercatchers are high on the list of my most favourite birds, they have great character and charisma and the more I learn more about them the more fascinating they become. They are large wading birds and when not resting are noisy. They sport large long orange or red bills, which they use for smashing or prying open molluscs.

The diet of coastal oystercatchers is varied, although dependent upon coast type; on this rocky shore with its extensive mussel beds, they will prey upon mussels of course, and also on limpets and gastropods. They also take advantage of whatever the tides bring in such as small fish and crabs.

160620-Rhos Point 1339b-Oystercatcher with blunt beak

The shape of this bird’s bill shows it to be a ‘hammerer’

The bill shape varies according to the diet. ‘Stabbers’ feed by jabbing their laterally compressed bill tips in between the valves of a mussel’s shell, while ‘hammerers’ crack open mussel shells by pounding on them. Those birds with blade-like bill tips pry open or smash mollusc shells, and those with pointed bill tips tend to probe for worms.

13.40 – The Oystercatchers were joined by a beautiful Sandwich Tern.

160620-Rhos Point 1342-Oystercatchers & Sandwich Tern 2

The Sandwich tern is a summer breeding visitor, returning to north-west Wales & Anglesey from late March to September. In the UK, many of the important colonies survive because they are on nature reserves.

This is a very white tern, which in summer breeding plumage had a full black cap on its head. The bill is long and black with a diagnostic yellow tip. The legs are short and black and the tail short and forked. In flight it shows grey wedges on its wings tips.

160620-Rhos Point 1340a-Sandwich Tern

13.44- A small number of Curlews flew in to land on the rocky sea edge, where their cryptic plumage allows them to all but disappear.

I took this short video as the Curlews arrived – coudn’t avoid the wind noise!

160620-Rhos Point 1344-Curlews foraging

160620-Rhos Point 1347-Curlews foraging on sea edge

The curlew is the largest European wading bird, instantly recognisable on winter estuaries or summer moors by its long, downcurved bill, brown upperparts, long legs and evocative call.

160620-Rhos Point 1349-Curlew

160620-Rhos Point 1346-Oystercatchers & Curlews

13.47- The mysterious moment that suddenly galvanises waiting wading birds into action arrived and triggered most, though not all of the Oystercatchers to begin foraging in earnest.

160620-Rhos Point 1347-Oystercatcher (2)

160620-Rhos Point 1346-Oystercatcher bathing

13.48- A Herring gull arrived to join the party.

160620-Rhos Point 1348-Oystercatchers, Curlews & Herring Gull

13.52- A second Sandwich Tern flew in, closely followed by a third.

160620-Rhos Point 1352-Sandwich Terns

The terns also settled down to preen.

160620-Rhos Point 1352-SandwichTerns preening & Curlew

13.59- A Cormorant flew past at speed.

160620-Rhos Point 1359-Cormorant flying

14.04- A Herring gull- it’s good to see them down here, where away from the rooftops, rubbish tips and promenades they are not upsetting anyone!

160620-Rhos Point 1404-Herring Gull 1

160620-Rhos Point 1404-Herring Gull

160620-Rhos Point 1410-Herring Gull 2

 

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A sea-shore in waiting

11 Tuesday Aug 2015

Posted by theresagreen in Birdwatching on North Wales coast, coastal habitat, mussel beds, Nature, Nature of Wales, nature photography, North Wales, Rhos Point, Rhos-on-Sea, wading birds, Wales Coast Path

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Tags

acorn barnacles, barnacle, common mussel, great black-backed gull, herring gull, mussel bed, mussel beds, mussel beds of Rhos-on-sea, Nature in August, periwinkle, Rhos Point, seashore in August, winkle

Rhos Point from the Little Orme

Rhos Point from the Little Orme

Rhos-on-Sea is a popular seaside venue that is busy with people visiting most of the year round, particularly at weekends and when the sun shines, but they don’t come here for its beach. The seashore, wrapped around the flat fortified headland of Rhos Point, is not the most beautiful in North Wales: a general first impression may well be of an expanse of flat shoreline littered with variously sized brown-coloured rocks and boulders. No easy strolling or picnicking here.

The stumps of posts are the remains of an ancient fishing weir

Rhos Point shore looking towards Colwyn Bay-the stumps of posts are the remains of an ancient fishing weir

The rocky shore of Rhos Point from Penrhyn Bay

The rocky shore of Rhos Point from Penrhyn Bay

However, between the rocky shore and the sea lies an expanse of long-established Mussel beds which is highly attractive to visitors – of the avian variety. Large numbers of a variety of species of sea and shore birds will be returning here this month from their summer breeding grounds to spend the autumn and winter to feast on the gourmet seafood on offer here.

Rhos Point across the rock strewn shore to the mussel beds

Rhos Point across the rock strewn shore to the mussel beds

Part of the expanse of mussel bed beyond the rocks

Part of the expanse of mussel bed beyond the rocks on a sunny day

There may be a few early arrivals, maybe a Turnstone or two, but for now, approaching mid-August, the resident breeding birds, the Herring gulls, a smallish number of Lesser Black-backed gulls, Cormorants, plus a few Oystercatchers have the place more or less to themselves.

KONICA MINOLTA DIGITAL CAMERA

Great Black-backed gulls, adults & juveniles, Herring gull & Oystercatchers

Rhos Point shoreline with fishing weir posts cormorants & gulls

Rhos Point mussel bed, juv. cormorants, oystercatchers & gulls

Soon they will be joined by large numbers of Curlews, Redshanks, more Oystercatchers, Turnstones, Dunlins, Ringed Plovers and Sandwich Terns. If we are lucky there may be a few Purple Sandpipers in the mix, and there will doubtless be a few temporary visitors stopping to feed before escaping to warmer climes. There will be Rock Pipits and Pied Wagtails amongst the huge rocks of the sea defences. So much to look  forward to!

Without the movement and cries of the absent birds the landscape appears harsh, a sombrely coloured, barren place devoid of life. But look more closely and you’ll see it is in fact a living landscape, richly populated by hosts of small sea creatures, which is of course why the birds head here for the winter.

On close inspection, the rocks that appear a uniform brown colour from a distance are actually encrusted with colonies of barnacles, millions of them.

Barnacles and winkles cover the surface of a rock

Barnacles cover the surfaces of rocks

Acorn barnacles

Acorn barnacles

Barnacles and winkles

Barnacles and winkles

Turnstones camouflaged amongst the barnacle-covered rocks

Turnstones will be perfectly camouflaged amongst the barnacle-covered rocks

Winkles, or periwinkles are numerous too.

Winkles

Common periwinkle or Winkle-Littorina littorea

At low tide, cross the rocks, skirting the pools of shallow water left behind

Rock pool

Rock pool with more winkles

A flower of the sea -Beadlet anemone - Actinia equina

A flower of the sea -Beadlet anemone – Actinia equina

and soon the crunch of shells accompanies every footstep, as you are literally walking across the surface of a dense mass of living Mussels. It’s a very strange feeling.

Live mussels

The Mussel bed – live mussels amongst empty shells

You realise now why you see mussel shells everywhere.

Mussel shells under water

Mussel shells under water

141017TGNW4-Seashells mixed & crab legs

Live mussels & a live cockle amongst empty shells and crab claws

Mussel shells on the tide line of Rhos Harbour beach

Mussel shells on the tide line of Rhos Harbour beach

All is ready for the avian invasion.

 

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Of a temporary nature

18 Monday Aug 2014

Posted by theresagreen in coastal walks, coastal wildflowers, Nature, Nature of Wales, nature photography, Wildflowers of Wales

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

acorn barnacles, creeping cinquefoil, fat-hen, flowering in August, hedge bindweed, kelp fly, mussel beds, ray's knotgrass, rhos on sea, sea mayweed, sea plantain, seashore walks

Beauty is where you find it and often in the least likely of places, but in nature it may also be fleeting, so needs to be appreciated when the opportunity presents itself. Here are a few images of some things I found beautiful along the way of a short walk I made from home into Rhos-on-Sea village on a windy, sunny-ish morning last week. Some would most definitely not be there if I were to look for them again.

I had set off to see if there was anything interesting to see down on the seashore and walked along the promenade to reach a point from which to access it. The promenade is on a lower level to the road and pavement for a short stretch here and the intervening space between the two is a steep slope covered with grass. This grassy embankment is mowed every now and then, but the times between cuts are often long enough to allow opportunistic weed wildflowers to pop up and bloom and in different seasons I have spotted a good variety of species here.

Reaching the top of the path leading down to the prom I heard first, then saw a man on a sit-on mower working on the flatter grass verge going in the opposite direction towards Penrhyn Bay. This prompted me to get a move on and have a look to see what might be flowering lower down as it clearly would not be there for much longer.

First to catch my eye was a tangle of white-flowered bindweed. Generally similar to the large flowered bindweed that abounds in waste places and on road verges, as well as being the bane of many a gardener’s life, this was the smaller-flowered Hedge Bindweed.

Flowers are smaller than those of Large Bindweed

Flowers are smaller than those of Large Bindweed

Lower down in the grass there was Creeping Cinquefoil, some of the golden yellow flowers fading around the edges.

Creeping cinquefoil-potentilla reptans

Creeping cinquefoil-potentilla reptans

Small flowers attract small insects

Small flowers attract small insects

There were insects nectaring on most of the available flowers, including bumblebees, hoverflies and various other flies.

I hope they all escaped the blades of the mower that was about two minutes behind me as I took these photographs. I’m glad I got there when I did, otherwise I would not have seen the flowers at all.

The tide was turning and beginning its journey back into the shore and although I could see and hear a lot of birds out on the tide-line, including curlew, redshank & oystercatcher, they were way too far away to see properly.

View across the mussel bed from the shore

View across the mussel bed from the shore. (click for a bigger image)

With or without the added interest of birds though, I can meander contentedly  along this rocky seashore at any time, finding the rocks themselves endlessly fascinating.

Perhaps the rounded shapes on this rock were made by molluscs attached to it

Perhaps the rounded shapes on this rock were made by molluscs at one time attached to it

We don’t get much variety in the seashells on the shore here, although not surprisingly there are an awful lot of mussel shells.

Seashell collection amongst the rocks

Seashell collection amongst the rocks

Textures in rock with periwinkles

Textures and patterns in rock with seaweed and periwinkles

Acorn barnacles make a pretty lacy patterns on rocks

Acorn barnacles make  pretty lacy patterns on rocks

Rock pool

Rock pool

I spent a few minutes watching a cluster of Kelp Flies, appropriately on a length of brown, leathery Kelp seaweed.These are the insects that fly up if you walk through or even past clumps of dryish seaweed. They are quite tiny, so I thought it might be interesting to have a closer look at one. Not beautiful maybe, unless you are another Kelp Fly, but the wings are nice and they have dainty white feet.

Kelp Fly - Coelopa frigida

Kelp Fly – Coelopa frigida

So I travelled slowly along and eventually arrived at the sandy beach area next to the small harbour area of the village. The beach is protected by a barrage of more large rocks that has to be surmounted  to reach it and as I clambered over them I spotted a colourful splash of flowering plants growing at the back of the building that is now a fishing-tackle shop and kayaking centre. This is not a particularly attractive spot and any wind-blown rubbish from the beach tends to get caught up here, but I have come across some interesting plants here, so is always worth a closer look at. 

What had caught my eye today was a large clump of Common Mallow that had found shelter in a corner tight against a wall and was clearly thriving there.

A large Common Mallow plant thrives in a sheltered corner

A large Common Mallow plant thrives in a sheltered corner

Another common plant in waste places, especially on sandy soils is Annual Wall-Rocket and there are usually a few of these plants growing around this location.

Annual Wall-Rocket-diplotaxis muralis

Annual Wall-Rocket-diplotaxis muralis

A large specimen of Annual Wall-Rocket

A large specimen of Annual Wall-Rocket

There was a large plant of Fat-hen too, and another one right on the edge of the sand just a short way from the sea.

 

Fat Hen

Fat Hen- Chenopodium album

Fat Hen flower spike

Fat Hen flower spike

Amongst the commoner plants I was pleased to  find this Ray’s Knotgrass, an annual plant that is most often found on undisturbed coastal sand and shingle beaches.

Ray's Knotgrass- Polygonum oxyspermum

Ray’s Knotgrass- Polygonum oxyspermum

The flowers & fruits of Ray's Knotgrass

The flowers & nut-like fruits of Ray’s Knotgrass

There was Sea Plantain, whose flowers are almost over now.

Sea Plantain-Plantago maritima

Sea Plantain-Plantago maritima

Then the prettiest of them all, the lovely Sea Mayweed.

Sea Mayweed-Tripleurospermum inodorum

Sea Mayweed-Tripleurospermum inodorum

A clump of Sea Mayweed at the beach edge

A clump of Sea Mayweed at the beach edge

 

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‘But it is the common species that keep the living world ticking over and provide most of our experiences of wildlife, and I would argue that maintaining the abundance of these is as important a conservation priority as maintaining the existence of rarities’. Richard Mabey

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