The overnight rain stopped about 07:00, more showers from mid morning till lunchtime, then dry with some sunshine. A light S - SE wind.
Heysham Nature Reserve
Report from Shaun:
Had a trundle around before the rain. 07:30-10:00:
Long-tailed Tit 2 group's totalling c25.
Single Chiffchaff and Blackcap (female).
Redwing 11 grounded then east.
Siskin group of 23 at Moneyclose car park them headed off towards golf course (only 13 were recorded in the whole of 2022 - probably more to do with lack of observers than absence of birds)
Greylag Goose c160 north.
Sparrowhawk female.
Heysham skear - low water 09:00 (MD)
Managed most of my walk before the rain started. Not a lot around.
Pink-Footed goose 21 south, just after the rain started
Eider 6
Red-breasted Merganser 2
Great Crested Grebe 4
Little Egret 2 - the sharp reduction in Egret numbers almost certainly down to a similar reduction in the shrimps they feed on at this time of year. Shrimps only come really close to the shore when the sediment is disturbed. The recent east winds do not disturb the sediment at this side if the bay.
Oystercatcher 1500
Curlew 25
Knot 200
Redshank 15 (another species that feeds on the shrimps here)
Turnstone 30
Pied Wagtail 1 east
Middleton Nature Reserve (MD)
The sun came out and it was unusually warm this afternoon (18°C).
Mute Swan 11 - the pair on the main pond were still accompanied by 7 large cygnets, but an additional cygnet has turned up. Initially separate from the others.
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| New arrival Mute cygnet |
It wasn't rejected, but it obviously wasn't used to being fed by people and stayed on the north side while the others were being fed on the south side feeding station. When the pair plus seven cygnets returned to feed on the north side, it tentatively joined them. The new bird is the one on the right.
But, this time when someone arrived at the feeding station, the new cygnet flew over with them.
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| All ten main pond Mute on the south side swimming towards the feeding station. There was another adult on the Tim Butler pond |
Gadwall 2 males on the "no swimming" pond
Teal 1 male on the "no swimming" pond
Coot 12
Moorhen 4
Little Grebe 1 in winter plumage on the main pond
Grey Heron 1
Cetti's warbler 2 singing - main pond and western marsh
Several thrushes flying quite high in all directions 5 Redwing, 1 Song Thrush and 3 Blackbirds, where the only ones positively identified.
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| This is the only Redwing I saw grounded. |
Pheasant 1 calling
Common Darter 9 at least, including an ovipositoring pair
Red Admiral 1
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| This odd looking "shape" was swimming in the shallows at the north side of the main pond. I couldn't make out what it was, so I scooped it out |
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| I wasn't expecting it to be a fish! I'm pretty sure it's a Bitterling. |
Bitterling are not native UK species, but were introduced to our water courses early last century. They have an interesting breeding cycle, which led the females to be used as an early form of pregnancy test. I don't think they will do any harm here, they don't grow much bigger than this and if I can catch one by hand, they must be vulnerable to predation. Plus they require freshwater mussels to breed successfully and I don't think there are any in this pond. So I safely returned it (MD).
