A bit of variety

A sunny day with a fresh west wind.

I don't know why the blog has started putting a "robot" check for videos. I cant manage to watch any (maybe I am a robot!) so don't know how you'll manage. Hopefully its just a bug that will be sorted out (Malcolm)

Heysham skear low water 07:45 (MD)

A very pleasant walk, but very little on the sea.

Eider c30

Red-breasted Merganser 1 female

A collection of Cormorants, Eider and Oystercatcher resting on a sand bar

Still no Little Egrets 

Knot c500 on the skear another 1,500 heading south 

Oystercatcher c2,000

Dunlin c25

Dunlin with an impressive bill

Curlew c15

Curlew (with an even more impressive bill) resting on a honeycomb worm reef

Turnstone 100+

Turnstone 

Pale-bellied Brent goose 8-9 - 5 flew in from the west then headed north, but could have doubled back. 4 were in the skear corner later on. 8 were feeding out from the play area as I returned.

This is one of the skear corner birds, followed by a group of Knot that had been having a wash and a drink in the groundwater runoff.

Barrel Jellyfish are still being stranded, although this one was more bean can sized.

The early morning moon was impressive - a waning gibbous 

Pete managed to read two ringed Knot from only 220 on the Near Naze. This one has quite an interesting history.

Also from Pete:

Shag 1 on the wooden Jetty

Kittiwake 2 first winter on No.2 outflow.

Janet went through her pictures from yesterday and managed to find this one where I can identify the food item.

First winter Kittiwake with a Common Goby

10 Pale-bellied Brent, just before leaving Red Nab

Middleton Nature Reserve (MD)

Mute Swan 2 adult plus 5 immature 

Coot 3

Moorhen 4

Mallard 11

Gadwall 11

Teal 1 on the "no swimming" pond, but others heard on the Tim Butler pond

Little Grebe 3 at least including two trilling. This one was swimming across the main pond while a second bird was trilling, unfortunately you can't hear it in the clip.

There was another one trilling on the "no swimming" pond. A flock of at least 16 Long-Tailed Tits were passing by. This isn't a great clip of one, but you can hear that I am surrounded by them, and at the very end of the clip you can just hear the Little Grebe trilling.

Jackdaw 39 heading south. They seemed to be moving with some intent.

Redwing c20 flew in a loose gathering north from the gun club area.

Mistle Thrush 2 feeding in the horse paddock to the east of Tim Butler pond.

Just after this clip they were spooked by a Sparrowhawk and flew south.