Overnight rain stopped just after dawn, then just the odd light shower. A southerly wind in the morning shifting to SW in the afternoon
Middleton Nature Reserve - Janet
A Barn Owl was hunting over the central marshes. It couldn't have hunted during the overnight rain.
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| Hopefully it has some little beaks to feed |
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| Kestrel also hunting |
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| Herring Gull with nesting material |
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| This young Coot on the main pond seemed very independent |
Roe Deer 1
Heysham skear - Malcolm 16:30 - 18:00
Sanderling 80 minimum.
I started as soon as the first rocks were being exposed again. Things were looking promising as a flock of c50 Sanderling were milling around just offshore. Four then landed on the innermost rocks.
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| Three of the four early arrivals |
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| The location of the above shot is circled. This is only 50m from the promenade |
Unfortunately a Peregrine passed over and all the Sanderling were gone. Later, somewhat further out, I managed to count 80 in three main groups, but there were likely more scattered around, by this time it was a large skear.
Initially they were in smallish groups
But they merged into larger groups, scurrying around like mice.
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| Sanderling and a Herring gull (1 of c150) |
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| I do look forward to the Spring Sanderling passage, they are my favourite wader! |
Knot 16
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| Knot, plus 2 Sanderling (they get everywhere!) |
The Knot landed in the shallows and began probing for food. They were too tightly packed to be after the invertebrates. They were finding small mussels.
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| The Knot on the left is swallowing a small mussel. This isn't one of the new crop of seed mussels, which are still tiny |
Bar-Tailed Godwit 1
Curlew 5
Ringed Plover 1 flying purposefully north
Eider 5 (3 male)
Great Crested Grebe 1
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| Herring gulls, Eider and Great Crested Grebe |
