Brent goose, porpoise family, herring gull with ring

20 October 2013. After the red knots of the IJmuiden jetty, we continued, and saw a brent goose (on the south side of the pier, like the knots).

On its flat rock, it had plenty of seaweed to feed on.

Did this lone goose lose its flock, after maybe flying with them all the way from the Arctic? Too tired to continue?

Or is it just here because it likes the food? Every now and then, the waves come in, maybe bringing more seaweed.

On the north side of the jetty, a juvenile black guillemot swims, and dives quickly.

Then, what we heard about harbour porpoises here turns out to be true. Repeatedly, a mother porpoise‘s dorsal fin, and her youngster’s dorsal fin, appear above the waves between the jetties.

An oystercatcher.

A female chaffinch on a rock. Resting here, tired from autumn migration?

On another rock, another common bird species: a young herring gull. It is special, because of the ring around its leg.

Yet another pipit. As the jetty here is further out into the sea, away from the earlier sand dunes: maybe this one is a rock pipit, not a meadow pipit?

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