Merlin and Jack Snipe fieldcraft

Heysham Obs
Please try and watch the tide covering the saltmarsh for Jack Snipe in on 10m tides, rather then the couple who walked the tideline - there were no birds left on the saltmarsh/shoreline when we arrived. If the shoreline is undisturbed, they roost on the edge, rather than being forced to fly off elsewhere.  Thanks.

Ocean Edge/SD45E boundary
Merlin - female chasing waders - first for two years!
Rock Pipit - one in the 'corner' of OE saltmarsh, flock of 3 further south by the tetrad boundary
Twite - flock of 61 flew purposefully south towards Pott's Corner - NOT the north harbour wall flock
Lots and lots of waders!

North harbour wall
Med Gull - 2 adult and one 3CY
Twite - c60/c75 finches

Jack Snipe perform again

Heysham Obs

North harbour wall pre-tide
Twite - 61, 10 unringed, rest all Heysham ringed
Linnet - 7, at least 2 unringed
Goldfinch - 12
Med Gull - Czech-ringed adult

Half Moon Bay
Rock Pipit - 1

Ocean Edge saltmarsh high tide
Jack Snipe - 2 - one flew inland, the other 'bounced' on the beach



Thanks Janet

Snipe time

Heysham Obs
High tide saw 31 Common Snipe all out on the beach trying to conceal themselves along with a single Jack Snipe.  I was just about to leave and another single Jack Snipe flew out of the only remaining spartina protruding above the water in which it must have been 'swimming'

North harbour wall/harbour area
No sign of yesterday's Shag, just the usual 2CY Cormorant on the 'waterfall'
Purple Sandpiper - wooden jetty
Med Gull - adult
Twite - c60

Ocean Edge/Red Nab
Snipe - 31
Jack Snipe - 2

Elsewhere
Heaton Marsh south end high tide:  Rock Pipit 2, Meadow Pipit 7, Skylark 5, Reed Bunting 1 - to add to SD46 10k survey.  No sign of any waxwings at Glasson early morning. 

Mostly spring tide north wall fare

Heysham Obs
A 2CY Shag was by the waterfall this morning

North wall
Shag - see above
Red-throated Diver - 2-4 offshore
Guillemot - 1 offshore
Purple Sandpiper - roosting on wooden jetty at high tide (& 40 Turnstone)
Med Gull - 2 adults
Twite - at least 45
Linnet - at least 2
Song Thrush - 1
Pink-footed Goose - large movement to SW with 175 in 7 skeins

Coastal circuit and thorough Middleton check

Heysham Obs
Thanks for covering Middleton this morning, Malcolm - it shows what the rest of us miss through not checking all the nooks and crannies

Middleton NR
Mute Swan - 2+6juv, Goldeneye - 1, Pochard - 2, Mallard - 17, Tufted Duck - 20, Teal - 32, Snipe - 19, Coot - 4, Moorhen - 2, Grey Heron - 1

North wall
Purple Sandpiper - its own at base of seawall 1000hrs
Med Gull - Czech adult
Twite - 67
Linnet - 3
Goldfinch - 14
Song Thrush - 1
Guillemot - 1

Ocean Edge
Wigeon - 135

Half Moon Bay/heliport
Med Gull - 3CY but unable to  get it to land and see ring!

White bread failure

Heysham Obs
The unread ringed 3CY Med was on Fisher's roof at high tide, but remained unmoved by half a loaf and a large collection of gulls along the north wall

North harbour wall high tide
Med Gull - 3CY Fisher's roof, Czech adult to  bread - the ring is getting very worn with the penultimte '1' of the EX78711 number very hard to decipher, as is the top line of the address - the 'eum' bit  of museum
Guillemot -  one harbour mouth
Twite - c35
Goldfinch - c8
Linnet - c2
No waders along the base of the seawall

Yet another day - the third in succession -when all the waders were flushed from the heliport seawall by a single dog walker

50 metres worth of birding

Heysham Obs
Anything further away was virtually unidentifiable in today's fog

North wall
Purple Sandpiper - one below the red gate again early morning
Rock Pipit - same place
Twite - c45
Linnet - c7
Goldfinch - 15

Moth
One Mottled Umber

Purp and Parsnip

Heysham Obs
A Parsnip Moth in the trap kicked off the microlepidoptera season

Heysham north harbour wall
Purple Sandpiper - one on the rocks below the red gate for at least 30 minutes mid-morning
Rock Pipit - one by harbour mouth
Song Thrush - one mound
Twite - not many - c25 in flight
Goldfinch - 17
Linnet - 7 with Goldfinch
Med Gull - Czech-ringed adult

Moth
Parsnip moth in office trap

Purple Sandpiper

Heysham Obs
Failed miserably to entice the 3CY Med in to read the ring - spent a "fortune" on grotty white sliced bread and didnt see a single Med

North harbour wall
Purple Sandpiper - one below the gate (thanks Jim)
Twite - c50 but very flighty
Linnet - 5
Goldfinch - 2+
Red-breasted Merganser - 6 offshore

Elsewhere
3 Waxwing south end of Clarendon Road 0830hrs - flew 'inland'.  Anyone interested in moths:  Millhouses (SD66D) last night saw:  1 Winter Moth, 3 Early Moth, 25 Mottled Umber, 10 Pale-brindled Beauty, one Dotted Border, 2 Red-green Carpet, 15 Spring Usher and a Tortricodes alternella.  However, I suspect the party is over for a bit on the forecast

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