Plenty of Sedge warblers

A sunny morning after a cold night. It clouded over after lunch then light rain by mid afternoon.

Middleton Nature Reserve 

Report by Alan:

This morning was my first foray to Middleton to set nets this Spring. There was a heavy ground frost, clear sky and a light southerly breeze, the two nets set early produced just 16 birds by 10.30.

The catch :

Cetti's Warbler  1 + 2 retraps

Sedge Warbler  5 + 1 retrap (a high number for this early in spring)

Blackcap  1

Reed Warbler  2 retraps

Dunnock  1

Willow Warbler  2

Blue Tit  1

The two Reed Warblers and single Sedge Warbler retrapped were returning birds after their long migration journeys that were trapped and ringed here in previous years.

Janet checked later:

The Heron was patrolling the pools and shallows. There is a Little Grebe
skulking in the Bogbean

Robin with food for mate or young

Two pairs of Bullfinch 

Great Spotted Woodpecker 1 drumming 

Heysham skear - Malcolm 08:45 - 10:30

Eider 80

Common Scoter - the female with the damaged left wing

Her right wing is fine

But the left wing's feathers are damaged. The wings work normally, and she
must be capable of diving for food as it is four weeks since she was first seen
here. She should hang around a while, as there is plenty of easy feeding here

Red-breasted Merganser 5

Great Crested grebe 3

Sandwich Tern 10

Sandwich Terns resting on the distant Honeycomb worm reefs

Little Egret 4

Whimbrel 3 at least

This Whimbrel didn't have a very distinct pale crown stripe.
Fortunately it was calling regularly 

Knot c1500 was a bit of a surprise (there were just a few hundred on the Heliport wall later).

Most of the Knot, they quickly left to the south as the tide moved them
from where they were feeding.

This afternoon there were 5 Pale-bellied Brent geese - David Kaye

South shore - Kevin Eaves early afternoon 

3 Wheatear on Red Nab at high tide

Little Gull 1 2cy

Common Tern 1 

both on no.1 outfall

2cy Little Gull

Common Tern

1 Swallow north.

2 male and a female Blackcap near the small anemometer in the Nature Park

Imperial Rd - Malcolm
I just stopped off for a quick check in passing, there were at least 2 singing Sedge Warblers, one on the south side of the blocked entrance near the roundabout. The other near the pylon. These are the brambles on the south side of entrance. The bird followed is a Common Whitethroat, but it has a tussle with a Sedge Warbler, meanwhile a male Sedge warbler is singing.

Last year Common Whitethroat nested in these brambles