A lonely north buoy with the southern buoy under water |
Sparrowhawk |
Common Whitethroat |
First Silver Y of the year |
Female Orange Tip |
This female Orange Tip appears to be laying an egg. |
Teneral Damselfly |
Dunlin |
Male Ringed Plover |
A lonely north buoy with the southern buoy under water |
Sparrowhawk |
Common Whitethroat |
First Silver Y of the year |
Female Orange Tip |
This female Orange Tip appears to be laying an egg. |
Teneral Damselfly |
Dunlin |
Male Ringed Plover |
A light west breeze began at 09:30. Prior to that it was almost still. Just a couple of light afternoon showers with some sunny spells.
6.55 – 9.45 am (with Mark Prestwood)
3 dark morph Arctic Skua – 1 flew into the Bay at 8.26 am, with presumably the same bird returning back out of the Bay at 8.40 am; 1 flew in and landed on the sea at 9.10 am, then another flew in at 9.15 am and landed alongside the previous bird, before both flew off further into the Bay separately at 9.25 am and 9.30 am.
c.130 Auks – mostly Guillemot, but including 10+ Razorbill drifted in on the incoming tide between 8.20 and 9.30 am. Mostly distant (beyond the two buoys) and in groups of up to 20, with quite a few flying back out as others were still drifting in on the flat, calm sea.
c.65 Common Scoter – groups of 15, c.40 and 9 flew into the Bay, but mostly distant.
3 Red-throated Diver – 1 in at 7.50 am, then 2 in at 8.58 am
2 Great Crested Grebe
8 Sandwich Tern
c.250 Bar-tailed Godwit – flew from Half Moon Bay towards the Wooden Pier
2 Harbour Porpoise
No passerine movement; just 1 Rock Pipit flew from Near Naze towards the harbour
Additional after Pete left - Mark Prestwood
2 red-throated diver
25 common scoter
Middleton Nature Reserve
Ringing report by Alan:
I set three nets again at Middleton and a very modest catch was the result.
Sedge Warbler 2
Reed Warbler 1 retrap
Lesser Whitethroat 1
Blackcap 1
Willow Warbler 1
Lesser Redpoll 7
This brings the total number of Redpolls for this spring to a respectable 68, mostly at Middleton with a few at Heysham also. Surprisingly no birds captured elsewhere have been encountered so far.
Some of the Carrion Crows. All 19 flew north towards Ocean edge, when moved off by the tide. |
Peregrine Falcon - they looked particularly formidable as they were zipping past my head at close range! I was pleased not to be a Knot! |
But the Oystercatchers didn't benefit as this young Herring gull took possession of the rock |
Turnstone and Dunlin on another rock |
Warm again with a light wind. Arrived at 6am and three nets set.
Numbers caught were small, but all were new birds apart from one Chiffchaff.
They comprised ;
Lesser Redpoll 5
Sedge Warbler 4
Tree Pipit 1
Great Tit 1
Chiffchaff 1
Lesser Whitethroat 1
Flock of 7 red-breasted Merganser in
25 common scoter
07:21- 09:30
Red-throated Diver- 1
Gannet- 7
Common Scoter- c.25
Pink-foot- 362
Mute Swan- 3
Eider- 78
Whimbrel- 7
Turnstone- 80
Sandwich Tern- 14
Sand Martin- 5
Swallow- 20
Wheatear |
Curlew |
Whimbrel and male Red-breasted Merganser |
Whimbrel |
Mainly Godwits along the south waterline |
A light SW wind all day. Showers till mid morning then just a few spots of rain in the afternoon.
Common Sandpiper |
Pale-bellied Brent geese |
Eider being watched by Bar-Tailed Godwit |
Little Egret |
Just a few of the Bar-Tailed Godwit |
10 Whimbrel coming in from the north side as the tide rose. |
Sanderling with Dunnock |
Sanderling just beginning to moult to summer plumage |
Sanderling, this one's moult more advanced, with Dunlin |
A very light NE morning breeze, freshened slightly as it moved to SW from late morning. It threatened to rain all day, but somehow managed to hold off till the evening.
Sandwich Terns |
Shelduck 4 of 6 |
One of four Whimbrel that remained on the south side |
48 Bar-Tailed Godwit flew to the north side with Knot and Dunlin Later 18 Bar-Tailed Godwit flew back to the south side |
Waterfall Rock Pipit |
A rather better session at Middleton this morning with three nets set, although the majority of the catch was from the centre net on the west side. 28 Lesser Redpolls were caught in two flocks of 12 & 15 plus a singleton.
No overhead movement was detected except for two distant Corvids flying NW high and fast - No Hirundines were seen at all.
Trapped were:
Cetti's Warbler 1 retrap
Sedge Warbler 2 + 3 retraps
Reed Warbler 1
Lesser Whitethroat 1 retrap
Common Whitethroat 1
Willow Warbler 1
Long-tailed Tit 1 retrap
Great Tit 1 retrap
Lesser Redpoll 28
Solidarity male Gadwall on the main pond - Janet |
Eider 75
Red-breasted Merganser 4
Great Crested grebe 1
Sandwich Tern 4
Sandwich Tern resting on conger rock |
Whimbrel 6 - possibly some of this morning's birds. This one makes short work of a small crab.
Bar-Tailed Godwit 8
Knot 600 - no rings or flags seen, and most if not all legs checked. These are just a few.
A fresh NE wind, plenty of sunshine, temperatures peaking at 21°C by lunchtime.
Nets set from 6.30am to 11.00am. Much warmer with light winds.
No significant overhead movement observed and catch comprised;
Lesser Redpoll x 10
Chiffchaff x 3
Willow Warbler x 2
Sedge Warbler x 2
Garden Warbler x 1 (1st of the year, plus a male was singing)
Wren x 1
Goldfinch x 1
Blackbird x 1
Heysham Nature Reserve - ringing report by Alan
three nets but the catch was rather poor:
Wren 1 retrap
Dunnock 1
Blackbird 1
Lesser Whitethroat 1
Whitethroat 2
Blackcap 3
Chiffchaff 1 retrap
Blue Tit 3 retraps
Great Tit 2 retraps
1st S little gull
4 sand tern
1 red-throated diver
1 gannet
20 common scoter
34 arctic tern
Male Whinchat |
Whimbrel |
Rock Pipit |
Bar-Tailed Godwit |
a smart ichneumon fly but it was distant and is heavily cropped. |
10-spot Ladybird |
Just a few of several hundred Seven Spot Ladybirds |
"Ladybird" with a Groundhopper |