The mist clears

Almost breathless for much of the day, what little breeze there was came from the east. No sunshine, but at least the clouds were higher and visibility improved.

Heysham skear - low water 10:40 (MD)

Great Crested Grebe 8

Red-breasted Merganser 2 

Eider 28

Little Egret 8

Shag 2 - this immature (looks to be a juvenile) was feeding in the shallows. I aways describe this style of feeding as "snorkelling". Didn't see it catch anything 

Meanwhile this 2nd calendar year bird was resting and watching the Eider feeding 

Pale-bellied Brent goose 2 in the SE corner of the skear. This is the area favoured in previous years by visiting birds. There isn't a great deal of weed there this year, but plenty for two geese. Neither bird was ringed

Whooper Swan 2 flying low to the NW

Whooper Swans

You can just about hear then "whooping" towards the end of this clip.

Waders: Oystercatcher, Curlew, Redshank, Turnstone, Knot c500, Dunlin 25, Common Snipe 6.

This Great Black-Backed gull is pecking what it can from this Flounder. The Carrion Crows are making sure that nothing is wasted.

The rest of today's stuff from Steve Brown:

Ocean Edge

1 Rock pipit on shoreline, the 100+ Shellduck were still on the sands squabbling, 10 Linnets and 2 Dunock in the Saltmarsh, also , Curlew, Redshank,Little Egret. 

A lone Pink-Footed Goose flew over from the Sea towards Middleton.

Pink-Footed Goose

Nature park

was active with mixed flocks of Finches and Tits feeding, 20 + Goldfinch,4 Greenfinch, 2 Bullfinch, numerous Blue tit and Great tit, 2 Goldcrest, 2, Coal tit, 2 Dunock, Wren, Jay, 1 Redwing.

Foreshore out from horse paddocks 13:30

2 Pale-bellied Brent geese on the sea then flew towards the power station (almost certainly the same two as seen this morning)

Pale-bellied Brent Geese

1 male Red  breasted Merganser .

The shore was manic with feeding waders just ahead of the incoming tide. c100 Dunlin, Plus Knot, Turnstone, Redshank, Curlew and Oystercatchers.

Dunlin 

Some of the waders, mainly Dunlin and Redshank