Over the last couple of months Findhorn Bay has seen record numbers of Pink-footed Geese. The peak occurred in the first week of October when over 50,000 were roosting on the Bay. Since then numbers have dropped off which is normal as many continue their migration to estuaries further south and there are now around 5-8,000 left. Greylag Geese are also quite numerous with several hundred on the Bay at the moment.
Good numbers of waders are also around with about 1300 Dunlin, 950 Knot, 500 Redshank, 250 Curlew and 650 Oystercatcher at the last count. Over the last couple of months 10-20 Black-tailed Godwit have also been feeding on the Bay, but these have now all moved on south. Bar-tailed Godwits remain though, with about 10 at the moment and their numbers may well increase over the winter.
The Little Egret mentioned in the last post is still around, mainly being seen in the channels at the south end of the Bay. It is conceivable that it may now stay for the winter.
In the wider area there have also been exceptional numbers of Waxwing this year. Flocks of several hundred birds have been seen on the edge of a number of the local towns in the last couple of weeks with 600+ birds in a flock on the outskirts of Forres a few days ago.