Saunton Strandline.....

.....is patrolled regularly by one of many Coastwise's experts, Rob Jutsum, for whom the term "serious birder" seems like an understatement.

Notwithstanding this, Rob notices a lot more than just the birds and their behaviour, and took Coastwise members on an absorbing Zoom/leisurely stroll along the sands.

His background knowledge allows him to describe where the birds may have arrived from, and where they are likely to be heading, and this all adds depth to a talk.

For the non-expert, Rob is able to decipher the colour variations that are so confusing; such as, is this one just young, or changing from summer to winter plumage ?

I've no doubt that he had great difficulty selecting pictures from his huge stock, but shown Right, from the top, is a small selection of his images :

• Sanderlings feeding on wet sand as the tide recedes
• Goose Barnacles colonising a discarded TV CRT
• Kentish Plover - a rare visitor
• Snow Bunting - strange to see this on a beach.....
• Gyr Falcon - another very rare visitor that's a real trophy sighting for a birder
• Sea Stock - not a common flower
• A group of Whimbrel, the largest of the curlews, down from their Northern breeding grounds

[Pictures courtesy of Rob Jutsum]