Scoter Surprise

Heysham Obs
A flock of 420 Common Scoter were seen from the North Harbour Wall late afternoon both on the water and flying about-unprecedented at this time of year since 1960's.
Also Guillemot -1
Pink-footed Goose - 34 S
Med Gull - 2 adults & 2CY

A brief lunchtime visit to top up the seed didn't see any finches coming to it with views of them just on the tops of the bushes. They comprised 27 birds, mainly Twite with a few Linnets, but no Goldfinch.

Red Nab/Ocean Edge Late Afternoon
A bird photographer flushed everything off Red Nab as the tide was coming in.
Wigeon - 215

Brent Goose highlight

Heysham Obs
Brief visit to north harbour wall
Dark-bellied Brent Goose - two flying out at 1255hrs
Common Scoter - 3 very distantly out
Guillemot - 6 floating in
Twite - 13+
Linnet - 2
Goldfinch - at least 5
Med Gull - Czech-ringed adult on the railings, 2CY following ferry out
Kittiwake - 3 adults behind ferry

Thanks for the reccords Ian

Influx of unringed Twite

Heysham Obs
Sorry this posting is late - its taken me 20 minutes to access the site from the ""broadband"" at my home address - so much for BT 'connectivity' in rural areas

As I understand it, 36 unringed Twite were caught today and of the 22 ringed birds, two were previously unrecorded individuals ringed at Machrihanish seabird observatory on the Mull of Kintyre

At least one Med Gull around the north wall

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