Yesterday's Gartbreck shore rAmble

There was lots to see along Gartbreck shoreline yesterday afternoon, as our group of 10 found out over an enjoyable 2 hours - the time just flew by! Aided by two telescopes we had a good look at the Common Seals on nearby rocks (including a pup!) and two beautiful Turnstones in summer plumage just in front of the seals, and saw Shelduck and Eider on the sea too.

The group at Gartbreck

In the rockpools, on the sand and under seaweed we found many treasures, including a sea anemone, shore crabs, a hermit crab and lots of different shells.

Teeny shore crab

Bigger shore crab

Sea anemone on a Sand Gaper shell

To and from the shore we also saw many different wildflowers, including the Bird's Foot Trefoil and the origin of its name - the seedpods that look like a bird's foot!

Bird's foot trefoil seed pods

Also seen was Marsh Samphire, or Glasswort, a new one for me.

Glasswort

All in all, a happy Sunday afternoon!
Mandy.

Plants: Red bartsia, silverweed, bird's foot trefoil, yellow rattle, creeping thistle, spear thistle, red clover, white clover, knapweed, hogweed, marsh samphire (glasswort), thrift, thyme, english stonecrop, ox-eye daisy.

Shore life and shells: Limpet, starfish, shore crab, hermit crab, common whelk egg case, saddle oyster, needle whelk, clam, greater scallop, hunchback scallop, keel worms, barnacles, baltic tellin, Leathesia deformis, carpet shell, sugar kelp, common periwinkle, grey topshell, sand gaper

Mammals: common seals  

Birds:  Starlings, sedge warbler, pied wagtail, dunlin, ringed plover, oystercatcher, shelduck, eider, herring gull, meadow pipit, skylark, turnstone, sparrowhawk

Insects:  Soldier beetles, leaf hopper, ringlet butterfly