First Sand Martins and Chiffchaff

The WSW wind was quite fresh. Rain alternating between moderate and light until it finally cleared by mid afternoon 

Sand Martin 2 (first of the year)  - these were actually from yesterday seen flying north over the sea.

South shore

Rock Pipit 5 (1 on foreshore, 1 Red Nab, 1 lighthouse and 2 near the waterfall)

No Wheatear seen, but one reported from Fleetwood, so shouldn't be long.....

Wigeon - these were particularly active this morning, several groups flying around and lots frantically feeding on, the now billiard table quality, gut weed on Red Nab. 

They normally stop feeding here when the tide leaves Red Nab, but not today. I suspect they are "fuelling up" (MD).

It also seemed frantic in the area between Red Nab and the Dog walk path, lots of small birds flitting around, nothing unusual, just unusually "busy". Greenfinch, Goldfinch, Chaffinch, Great, Blue, Coal and Long-Tailed tits. Also:

Chiffchaff 1 (first of the year) - quickly and quietly making its way through north.

This Coal Tit was searching these, long dead, Buddleia flowers.

Middleton Nature Reserve (JP)

Someone is leaving a suet mixture at points around the main pond. It is certainly attracting the birds:

Great Tit, Long-Tailed Tits and a Robin.
Of these, only the Robin is not ringed.

One of the several Moorhen
As with most, apparently plain, birds, they are quite handsome when seen in detail.

Some ringing recovery news:

Lesser Redpoll male

Ringed - Middleton Nature Reserve. 6/11/20

Recaptured by ringers -  Great Warford (RS), Cheshire, UK 28/02/21. 114 days. 90km SSE

North shore

Pale-bellied Brent 6 - they were feeding on the water's edge in the SE corner of the skeer. There is no weed remaining here, they must have been eating the broken weed concentrated in the corner by the tide and the WSW wind. I wonder if they would eat any green jelly blobs washed ashore? A group of 6 makes me suspect the red/blue ringed Canadian bird's group, but I couldn't see any rings today, although it was murky. This clip shows four of them feeding:

The background noise is mainly the rain!