Not much better than yesterday, but at least it was dry.

A light north wind. Sunny spells and dry.

Heysham Nature Reserve 

Report by Jean:

I put up a couple of nets on the off chance a Yellow-browed Warbler might be around. Spoiler - it wasn't. But a small flock of young Goldfinches descended and 7 new ones were caught, as was an older male from 2022 that should have known better! 

Other than that two Great Tits were retrapped, a juv from April that has now revealed itself to be a female, and another young female that was a nestling in one of the Landscape Strip nest boxes in May. There were also two Dunnocks, both this year's birds. 

Apart from the birds attracted to the feeders I heard a Chiffchaff calling but didn't manage to catch it. 

South shore (Malcolm)

Red Nab then out from the saltmarsh.

Mediterranean gulls 7 at least. 3 adult and a 1st calendar year on Red Nab (probably others out of sight). 3 adults on the shore.

First calendar year Mediterranean gull (centre)

All the other gulls on the beach were stood, but the Meds chose to sit!
I eventually saw their legs and none were ringed

Wigeon 14 came in to Red Nab

Wigeon

Shelduck 185 - these tides completely cover the mud which brings the small molluscs back to the surface. The Shelduck were taking advantage, they were all over the shore.

Grey Plover 9 were resting on the mud close to the saltmarsh 

Grey Plover and Shelduck

Redshank 76 around the saltmarsh 

There were a few small groups of waders feeding high up the shore, but only Dunlin seen.

Dunlin feeding close to the shoreline 

There was a flock of c1,500 waders along the waterline, mainly Knot and Dunlin but also at least 20 Bar-Tailed Godwit and 30 Grey Plover

Oystercatcher 200

On the saltmarsh 

Linnet 40+ 

Meadow Pipit 2 

Wheatear 1 

Wheatear with its feathers fluffed out

Swallow 1 south

Heysham skear - low water 18:20 (Malcolm)

I checked about an hour before low water, there was very little on the sea.

Eider 6

Red-Breasted Merganser 3

Great Crested Grebe 1

Little,Egret 9

Oystercatcher c500

Knot c200

Curlew 60

Redshank 40

Turnstone 35

Ringed Plover 3

Ringed Plover

This Herring gull has a Whelk shell, it appears empty, but almost certainly 
contains a Hermit Crab. The gull wont be able to prise it out, so will have to
drop the shell from height to break it open My money is on the Hermit crab

There is still loads of gutweed and sea lettuce. Many areas of the skear are green.

All the green is either gutweed or sea lettuce. If it stays like this the
Brent geese will only feed close to the shore at high water this winter.