The Sandbanks of Loch Fleet

We were at Loch Fleet this morning under grey skies to watch a falling tide expose the sandbanks on which the local....

....harbour seal population hauls itself out to rest, chat and quarrel. What surprised us was the number - on this nearer sandbank alone I counted 130 seals, with s further 30, minimum, on the more distant sandbank and yet more on the sandbank on the farthest side of the loch - so I would guess....

....that there were minimum of 200 seals in Loch Fleet. This must say something about the local fish population, despite the fact that we haven't seen the usual swirls of bait fish this summer, and certainly no gannets circling to attack them.

Otherwise, these extensive areas of exposed sand were sparsely populated. Half a dozen cormorants were preening themselves on one bank, with a dozen or so merganser making a slow passage beyond them, while.... 

....probably the most common, and certainly the most noisy bird was the oystercatcher, several of which can be seen in the distance in this picture. The identity of the ducks in the foreground is a bit of a mystery. There were several female and young eider in the loch but these may, possibly, be gadwall.