The 3CY Med is ringed!

Heysham Obs
Twite numbers reached a new high this morning and the 3CY Med Gull was attracted in by bread and found to be ringed above the tarsus on the right leg, just like the Czech adult.  Anyone able to get an address or any of the numbers, please let me know and we'll try and (probably gradually) read it and find out the details.  Could year-listers please avoid the Twite feeding area tomorrow am as there will, drizzle permitting, be a ringing session and they are easily spooked by new vehicle arrivals.  Thanks.

North harbour wall and harbour area
Med Gull - 2 usual inshore adults (one Czech-ringed), ringed 3CY and the usual large adult following the IOM ferry before flying out of the bay along the shipping line
Twite - 87 (11-15 unringed)
Linnet - 7
Goldfinch - 7
Meadow Pipit - one on south side (35Z)
Rock Pipit - usual bird along the harbour-side jetty along the mound
Kittiwake - just 2 adults behind IOM ferry

Heysham PS non-op land
Meadow  Pipit - 2 (45E)

Moth
One Mottled Umber in the trap kicking the year off   

Twite numbers reach a new high

Heysham Obs
Miserable drizzle this morning with poor visibility, especially offshore - however this is a precursor to some pretty decent moth trapping weather over the next few nights.  Even in last night's rather colder temperatures, the Heysham trap held about 15 assorted 'wintery gnat-type' things and a lot of spiders waking up from their winter slumbers

North harbour wall
Twite - 73, including at least 12 unringed and two with metal-only rings
Goldfinch - 5
no Linnet - they have often been staying as a separate flock in recent days
Med Gull - adult on beach

A bit more effort reaps rewards

Happy new year

First bird today was a Moorhen calling by my house just before Tawny Owl & "Mallard" - cant remember this kicking off any previous new year.

Heysham Obs
Coverage in December, other than Twite-related activities, was pretty poor, especially any persistence as regards the sea.  A decent westerly suggested the sea was worth a bit of coverage today and, albeit often distantly, there was a reasonable haul by recent standards 

North wall/harbour area, including about 2 hours of sea coverage at various times prior to 1100hrs, then a 'ferry check' at 1200hrs
Purple Sandpiper - one on rocks below red lighthouse pre-tide, then flew to the other side of harbour but birds flushed by cyclist before could be checked. 
Med Gull - 2 adults
Twite - 52
Linnet - 5-8
Goldfinch c6
Song Thrush - 1 mound/flew to sandworks - amazing choice of wintering site for the second successive winter (surely the same rather eccentric bird which likes living 'on the edge')
Rock Pipit - 1
Red-throated Diver - 1 'out' distantly, one out fairly close
Auk spp - at least 5 distantly
Guillemot - at least 7, including 2 together and one very close inshore
Little Gull - flock of 5 adult/3CY 'out' then appeared to land on sea
Kittiwake - 1+11+7+2+3+1+2+1+2, all but the flock of 7 heading 'out'.  32 behind the IOM ferry, but many flew back out before it turned into the harbour mouth (c50% 2CY)
Pink-footed Goose - flock of 115 NW

Middleton NR
Mute Swan - 2 ad no swimming pond, 2 ad & 5-6 juvs model boat pond
Goldeneye - female mb pond
Pochard - 2 males mb pond
Tufted Duck - at least 12 scattered around
Reed Bunting - one western marsh

No inshore seabird stickability

Heysham Obs
Year-listers are going to have to do some work tomorrow - nothing on a plate in the harbour like last year.  Tricky long-range views of Guillemot (on sea) and Red-throated Diver (probably in flight) if you give the sea half an hour.   The midday IOM ferry will probably produce Kittiwake and also guarantee Med Gull if they are being awkward and therefore probably the best time to visit and also  do your seawatch.  Twite/Linnet/Goldfinch available on/around the feeding station.  PLEASE DO NOT WALK DOWN THE FEEDING STATION 'CORRIDOR'.  This will disturb the birds and progressively make life difficult for everyone else if oft-repeated by different carloads as they might clear off for the day.  I can't find any Purple Sandpiper which is not unprecedented during unsettled midwinter weather.

North wall various times during the morning
Twite - c48
Linnet - 6-7
Goldfinch - c12
Med Gull - regular "pelagic" adult followed IOM ferry before flying 'out', the usual two adults along the north harbour wall mid-afternoon
Kittiwake - at least 7 adults behind IOM ferry, 3 followed it right into the harbour before flying 'out'
Guillemot - 3  on sea
Red-throated Diver - one 'out'
no pipits seen
perhaps surprisingly no Little Gulls seen on outfalls or offshore

Seawatching bits and bobs

Heysham Obs
Another 30 mins of seabird coverage produced a few rewards today

North harbour wall 1020-1050hrs
Guillemot - 2, possibly 3 on sea
Red-throated Diver - one 'out'
Little Gull - 2 adults slowly out very distantly
Kittiwake - adult 'in'
Finches - a flock of c50 in flight was the best on offer - impossible to  view the feeding station due to vehicle traffic
Med Gull - 2 adult

Unproductive scan

Heysham Obs
Spent the time today on a seawatch instead of 'power walking' around 36V and what a waste of time!

North wall 1030-1115hrs
Med Gull - just a single adult fisher's roof
Turnstone - 16 wooden jetty and no purps
Twite - c40 but not settled due to  people
Linnet -  at least 3
Goldfinch - c12
Offshore - absolutely zero in 20 mins continuous scanning

One hour of warm and misty miscellany

Heysham Obs
Still have not felt the need to wear gloves or wear a coat since christmas, despite theoretical wind 'chill' doing the north harbour wall circuit. 

North harbour wall & seawatch 1015-1045hrs
Twite/Linnet/Goldfinch -  too much disturbance to spend time checking them - c50 mixed finches seen, possibly more
Rock Pipit - one along the seawall between the gate and harbour mouth
Med Gull -  THREE  adults, two in the harbour and one headed south during a seawatch.  Also presumably the 2CY on the old Fisher's roof but at a bad angle to see wingtips
Red-breasted Merganser - 3 south
Guillemot - 2  on sea - one close inshore
No sign of any Purple Sandpiper on wooden jetty nor any incoming ferries to check

Heysham Nature reserve
Whilst helping to search for a lost teenager (thankfully found), a single Siskin flew south.  Incidentally the missing dog posted the other day turned up just before dusk, having played a round of golf over the road

Seabirds starting to stir

Heysham Obs
Nothing out of the ordinary during a brief visit to the north harbour wall other than two Twite with metal rings on the right leg but no colour rings on the left leg.  Will be interesting to see where these are from - one was a 1CY on gc details.  Birds a bit restless due to centrica yard activity and not time to examine the whole flock on the ground.  However, an hours seawatching by Ian on the incoming tide revealed a Guillemot influx and some distant Common Scoter, the first of the latter since the spring!  Howling onshore gales now seem to be an option for the three days prior to New Year, so there might be some storm-driven seabirds after all for the year-listers

North wall circuit 0900-0945
Twite - at least 65, at least 7 unringed out of about 30 examined, two  with metal-only rings
Linnet - at least 6
Goldfinch - at least 9
Starling - 20 on seed
Pied Wagtail - one on seed
Robin - two
Med Gull - adult, 2 adults later
Red-throated Diver - one on the sea in a sweep

North wall seawatch 1000-1100hrs (thanks Ian)
Guillemot - 3 definite & two auk prob this spp, one very close inshore
Common Scoter - distant flock of 12
Pink-footed Goose - c80 SE
Red-throated Diver - one close inshore

And then there were two

Heysham Obs
A rather belated visit coincided with a dog walker walking the 'twite corridor' and the (remaining?) birds were very restless. The first record of more than one Kittiwake for ages!

North harbour wall
Kittiwake - 2 adults behind a supply boat, just possibly a third
Med Gull - 2 adults
Twite - only 17 seen on seed, others heard but nowhere near yesterday's numbers (2 unringed)
Linnet - at least one
Goldfinch - 12 together on seed
Red-throated Diver - 2 offshore

Moths
Another Mottled Umber

Shirt-sleaved christmas

Heysham Obs
Happy Christmas!

A nice mildish morning saw little need for coats or even jumpers whilst doing the circuit of SD36V after feeding the Twite.  Trouble is that this weather does not produce a great deal, but finch numbers reached a new height this morning with c90 down on the seed at once. Oddly, no Meds seen.

North harbour wall
Twite - 79-81, including Machrihanish-ringed bird with metal above green/white and a metal-only ringed bird of unknown origin (c11 unringed)
Linnet - 7 (2 unringed)
Goldfinch - 6+
Mistle Thrush - one spooking the finches
Pink-footed Goose - 52 NW
Red-throated Diver - 2 on sea offshore, one very distant
Robin - 2

Ocean Edge/Red Nab
Wigeon - 135
Lapwing - 330

Middleton NR circuit
Jack Snipe - one in mown wet area near Tim Butlers (NE corner) - the only snipe spp seen
Teal - at least 10 Tim Butler pond
Tufted Duck - 14 scattered around
Pochard - 2 males model boat pond
Goldeneye - female model bpat pond
Mute Swan - 4 juvs
Coot - just 4
Little Grebe - unusually none
Mallard - none
Grey Wagtail - 1 (unringed)

Moth
Mottled Umber - 1