Good coverage = lots of birds

 NE wind eased to a light E breeze by evening. Sunshine all day.

Bumblebees were seen today in several locations, none clearly enough to confirm species.

Pete and Jean conducted a thorough count of the birds in the low water channels out from Heysham Head:

Eider (a very impressive) 612

Wigeon 4

Red-breasted Merganser 19

Great Crested Grebe 14

Common Scoter 1 drake (seen by Shaun)

Pale-bellied Brent Geese 20 (later on Red Nab, then back on skear in the evening).

Middleton Nature Reserve (SC)

A morning check:

Central marsh - Water Rail heard and a pair of Gadwall. 

12 Gadwall on Main pond and a pair on Tim Butler. 

Group of 23 Magpies quickly through heading north to Golf Course.

South shore

Mediterranean gull 1 2nd calendar year on outflows (Andrew McCafferty)

Shag 1 in the harbour, Rock Pipits 2 on harbour wall (Shaun)

My stroll around the south side was in the company of a guided walk arranged by Deborah Woods as part of  "The Bay:A Blueprint for Recovery". For once the walk coincided with very pleasant weather. Unfortunately the planned timing of the walk was interrupted along the dog walk path by the crows announcing the presence of an "unwelcome" visitor. A large Falcon.

Then it revealed that it had jesses (not unexpected)

But not just jesses, but also a radio transmitter 

Its appearance suggested a Saker Falcon, but Pete advises: You can get sakers crossed with eg peregrine or lugger falcons or the crosses even further hybridised.

This is what the crows thought, the gulls weren't happy either, but circled higher.

It eventually had enough and flew off low to the north.

Despite the interesting distraction the walk was very successful with good views of:

Bullfinch, Chaffinch, Greenfinch and Goldfinch.

A mixed tit feeding flock with Long-Tailed, Blue and Great tits.

Goldcrest, Dunnock, Wren and Robin.

Along the sea wall:

Pale-bellied Brent, Wigeon, Eider, Little Egret, Grey Plover, Rock Pipit,  Cormorant and Shag (although the Shag was by now on the wooden jetty and required a Scope to see clearly).

Heysham skear (MD)

It was such a lovely evening that I couldn't resist a walk out even though little of the skear was exposed before it became dark. The birds too were clamouring to get their late feeding done as skear became exposed. It was good that a thorough count of birds was conducted this morning as it allowed me to just enjoy being there. This clip is just to show some of the activity and the noise (no wind by this time so my camera catches the sounds of the skear, although it never seems to pick up the Eider calls as loud as they seem at the time). It's looking into the fading light so recognition is not easy, but on the water are Mergansers, Eider and Brent. The waders mainly Oystercatcher, but a few Redshank, Knot and Turnstone.