Still in the doldrums, but at least it's good ringing conditions

A 09:00 shower followed by light misty drizzle for an hour or so. Then dry but overcast. A very light variable breeze.

Ringing report for yesterday Alan and John:

Ringing at Middleton 

25 birds caught comprising:

Cetti's Warbler  6

Lesser Redpoll  3

Reed Bunting  5

Goldcrest  6

Long tailed Tit 2

Blue Tit  1 retrap

Coal Tit  1

Chiffchaff 1

 

Two small groups of 38 & 15 Pinkfeet flew south very high.

At least two Water Rails were calling in the reed beds.

 

29 birds ringed at Heysham:

Goldcrest     9

Coal Tit      5

Greenfinch     4

Goldfinch      2

Blue Tit        2

Dunnock     2

Chaffinch     1

Great Tit      1

Chiffchaff     1

Wren          1

Robin         1      

Ringing report today at Heysham Nature Reserve Jean:

Caught 64 birds of 13 species. 44 new birds and 20 retraps. New birds:

Goldcrest 8

Chiffchaff 7

Goldfinch 4

Great Tit 4

Blue Tit 4

Greenfinch 3

Chaffinch 3

Dunnock 3

Coal Tit 2

Robin 2

Wren 2

Treecreeper 1

Long-tailed Tit 1

Although a small number of Chiffchaffs winter in the UK, most head south to the Mediterranean so unsurprisingly none of today’s were retraps.

Treecreeper 

Heysham skear (Malcolm) 09:30 -11:00

Pink-Footed geese were circling overhead for several minutes, not seen as they were above/in the very low cloud. Eventually heard heading south

Eider 6

Red-Breasted Merganser 11

Red-Breasted Merganser 

Great Crested grebe 9

Shag at least 3 juveniles (three also seen on the wooden jetty roost this afternoon)

Juvenile Shags

Little Egret 10

Grey Heron 1

Oystercatcher 400

Curlew 20

Redshank 80

Knot 30

Turnstone 65 most close inshore 

Ringed Plover 9

Turnstone 

South shore (Malcolm) 13:00 - 13:45

I went to check the gulls on Red Nab as the tide reached it. There were only large gulls on the rocks, the smaller gulls were on the mud.

Four gull species in this shot. From top to bottom:
Great Black-Backed, Herring, Black-Headed and Lesser Black-Backed 

Mediterranean gulls 2 adults

Mediterranean gull upper left

They decided to move on. Med in the middle

But only as far as the foreshore. Two Meds here, left and right.

Little Egret 6

Little Egret

Shelduck 60

Shelduck feeding on the tiny snails

These are the tiny snails that currently cover the shore here.
Both the Shelduck and small waders feed on them

Fox taking a nap on Heysham Head - Janet